Melting the Human Ice Cube
by booklover333
Summary: Haruno Sakura, a new student at Konoha Boarding Academy, meets her two roommates and has an interesting year with many ups and downs along the way. Pairings: Sasuke x Sakura, Naruto x Hinata, Shikamaru x Temari, Neji x Tenten and Kiba x Ino
1. Chapter 1: Konoha Boarding Academy

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

Haruno Sakura was driving to her new boarding school with her mom. The air was crisp, the sky, blue, and the sun shining in all of its glory in Konoha, where she had just moved to a week ago. The weather was usually like this, save for the rainy season they had during the summer time every year.

Sakura's features were very unique. She had pink, silky hair that stood out anywhere, green, emerald eyes that shone all the time and a very cheery personality. Anybody would say that she is beautiful, mature young lady.

It was the first time she would be away from home for a whole school year and was both excited and nervous. When they reached the school, there was a huge sign that said "Konoha Boarding Academy." The main building was huge, two more buildings on either side of it for classes and the offices of the teachers. In the distance, you could see all the dorm room buildings, where the students' residences were, scattered around a huge green grass area. Beyond that, Sakura couldn't see but she knew the sports courts (like tennis and basketball) were there, as long as other things. She had done her research on this place.

Both her and her mom got out of their limo and took all of her luggage to the front of the building. Entering the huge main bulding and going to the Principal's Office, Sakura got her schedule, map and dorm number and key. Classes officially started 3 days from now, but Sakura wanted to get here early so she could unpack and get familiar with the school, as it was huge and she had never been here before.

Sakura had decided to come to this boarding academy because her parents, being big business owners, traveled a lot for meetings in different countries, were almost never home. Sakura decided that it would be easier if she stayed here than staying alone (despite the many maids/servants) or moving schools every 2 months.

Sakura's mom followed to her dorm room, helping her with all of her luggage as there was a lot. When they reached Sakura's new home, room 205, Sakura told her mother that she could handle it from there.

"You have to call at least every once in two or three days. If you any problems, know that I will be there for you, call whenever you want," her mom stated, tearing up a little.

"You know I will, Mom. And don't cry. It hurts me to see that, you know that. I love you so much," Sakura said, hugging her mother.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Take care of yourself," she said, hugging back.

Sakura nodded and once her mother had left, opened the dorm room and hauled her things in. She was having trouble and when she walked in, her foot got twisted in her backpack handle and losing her footing, she fell, on her face.

"Owww," she moaned.

She got up from the floor and balanced herself on her knees, rubbing her bruised nose. She saw a shadow on the ground in front of her and when she looked up, she was met with someone who had dark, onyx eyes and raven hair. He was rather cute, she thought, but then Sakura realized that he hadn't offered to help her up._ Jerk._

Once Sakura got up and recollected herself, she stuck out her hand and said, "Hi! I'm Haruno Sakura."

He just looked at her, then her hand and walked away. _Ugh, he really is a jerk. So much for hoping that I had a nice roommate. And why is he a guy? Shouldn't I be rooming with a girl? _

She frowned at his back and said, "Okay then." Sakura controlled her temper, which was quite uncontrollable when she got mad. "Which room is yours?" she asked, not in so much of a polite voice as before.

He turned back towards her slightly and raised his eyebrows. _She can actually talk to me without flustering or falling all over herself to get to know me? Wow. And talks back to me. Interesting…_he smirked.

She raised her eyebrows in expectation of an answer.

Instead of giving an answer to her, he just walked out of the living room and went into a room, which apparently was his. Each dorm room had a living room, bathroom and 3 smaller rooms inside, for the three roommates.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. "Jerk."_ Where's our other roommate?_

Just then, someone came bursting through the door.

"HELLO! I AM UZUMAKI NARUTO!" the boy said, to no one in particular. He had blonde hair and cerulean eyes, with a big, goofy grin on his face.

Sakura just looked shocked and the "Jerk" boy, as Sakura nicknamed him, opened the door to see what was causing commotion. As soon as he saw the blonde haired boy, he sighed deeply.

Naruto seemed oblivious to this, but still noticed the boy. "SASUKE-TEME!" he yelled. "We're roommates again?!"

_So that's his name? Sasuke?_ Sakura thought. She smirked a bit at the "teme," knowing its meaning.

"No duh, dobe," he answered in a low, smooth voice.

Naruto glared in response.

Sakura gasped in shock. "Wow, it speaks," she said sarcastically, getting a glare herself from Sasuke.

Naruto then just noticed Sakura in the room. "Hi! You must be our other roommate!"

_He's so dense._ But on the outside, she just said, "Yeah, I'm Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you."

Naruto grinned. "Nice to meet you too!"

Sasuke sighed again and went back into his room, closing the door.

"You'll have to take that room in the middle, I am taking the one farthest away from the_ jerk_," Sakura said, gesturing to the door which was on the opposite side of the room. "Sorry."

Naruto laughed. "Jerk, huh? I guess you've already figured that out. I don't care because I've roomed with him before, so it's fine!" Naruto exclaimed, a big smile plastered on his face.

Sakura smiled too.

Then, he said, "You know what? I REALLY love ramen!"

"Um…great to know," Sakura said. _He sure changes topics fast._

Inside Sasuke's room, he just rolled his eyes and laid back on his bed, having that he already packed, closing his eyes. _Why did I have to be roomed with the dobe and a klutz? This is gonna be another fantastic year, _he thought sarcastically.

"So, what's his deal?" Sakura questioned Naruto, referring to Sasuke.

"Oh, he is really cold towards people and it looks like he's pretty much emotionless, but if he likes you enough, he'll open up on his own time," Naruto said.

Sakura thought. "Oh." _I wonder what made Sasuke like that._ "Well, I'm going to start unpacking."

Naruto nodded. "You want help with your bags?"

Sakura smiled. _Well, at least I have one nice roommate. _"Thanks, but no. I got it." After that, Sakura went into her room and got to work. They each had their own closets, nightstands and desks, so for the next hour, Sakura made her room look a lot like her personality. Her desk was littered with pictures of her family and friends, books and her everyday things cosmetics, with the exception of makeup, which she despised.

When she was content with "making herself at home," Sakura whipped out her phone and texted her mom, just to let her know that she was doing fine.

_Hey, Mom. I just finished unpacking and I met my two roommates. They're both boys, and although one of them's a jerk, the other's really nice and sweet, but loud too. I'm doing fine, I hope you are too. I love you. _

_~ Saku-chan _

After clicking send and resting her phone on her nightstand, she sat on her bed and read one of her books about medical herbs. She wanted to become a doctor when she was older, even though her father disapproved of it. Her father and mother were the head of the Haruno Industries. She was to run the company when she got older, but she wanted to become a doctor. Of course, what she wanted was never acknowledged. Her parents' intent was to make her become a great company leader, even thought that's not what she really wanted.

* * *

Sasuke had already unpacked. His desk was almost bare, with only a pencil holder with some pencils, pens and highlighters in it and a notebook resting on the surface. He just listened to music afterwards in the living room while writing in his notebook.

Sakura went to the living room to write, since she liked open and quiet spaces while writing. She saw Sasuke who didn't look up as she entered the room. She sat down on one of the arm chairs and wrote some of her story that she had been working on. It was based around a new girl who was at a new school. It was like Sakura was writing her own life story. She thought that if she wrote the story, it might help her with her own life.

She ignored Sasuke, but the silence was still deafening. After about 10 minutes of silence, she decided that she wanted to start a conversation since the silence was getting awkward. Naruto had left to make some ramen in their dorm building's kitchen, leaving the room in the complete silence.

"So, um…what do you like to do?" Sakura said.

His eyes flickered up to her, them showing that he was clearly irritated that his peace had been disrupted.

"For fun, I mean," Sakura finished lamely.

Instead of answering, Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at her and went back to writing whatever he was writing in his notebook.

Sakura sighed. _This is going to be harder than I thought._ "Do you like to write?" she asked and even though she got no response, she continued. "I love writing, stories and journal entries, but not poetry. I've tried to write some, but I just suck at it."

Sasuke just looked up again and glared at her, still not answering.

_What a damn jerk! I am trying to be nice and he doesn't even respond!_ "Hey! I am just trying to be nice, could you at least answer?" Sakura said, voicing her thoughts.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and scoffed slightly. "Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Gosh, you are so difficult to deal with." She gave up and went back to writing.

After a few moments, she heard, "Yes."

Sakura looked up from her notebook and said, "What?"

"Yes," he repeated.

"For what? Yes, that you like writing?" Sakura asked.

He simply nodded and went back to writing.

"About what?" she prodded, wanting to know more about him.

Sasuke shrugged. "Anything."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Same here, I usually just get an idea and I write it down and eventually...it becomes a story."

Sasuke stayed quiet, knowing that she still had more to say.

She shrugged, letting her eyes wander to the window where she looked outside. She could see the tennis courts and the basketball courts from here and she decided to look there, trying to avoid meeting Sasuke's eyes. "Writing is kind of an escape for me, like a refugee...from this world and all the pressure."

Sasuke looked somewhat surprised, well as surprised as Sasuke can look.

Sakura bit her lip, embarrassed that she had just said that. She hadn't told anyone that, only preferring to write it down in her journal of feelings and thoughts, and here she was telling this to a guy that she had met not even two hours ago.

But then Sasuke nodded, understanding.

Sakura slowly smiled at him and he smirked at her, and Sakura soon found that Sasuke doesn't smile, he smirks.

Then, Naruto came back into the room, with a cup of instant ramen. "Hey!" he said, opening the door.

Sakura inwardly rolled her eyes. _Idiot! He ruined the moment! Not that I am disappointed, that conversation, or as much of a conversation that, doesn't change that Sasuke is still a cold-hearted jerk._

* * *

The rest of the day, Sakura just read her book and wrote in her journal and wrote some more of the story she was writing. At 5:00, she decided that she would explore the school and see where her classes were. She grabbed her schedule out of her backpack and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.

Sakura turned to him. "I'm going to go look around the school and get familiar with it," Sakura said, pocketing her cell phone.

"I'LL COME WITH YOU SAKURA-CHAN! I CAN SHOW YOU AROUND!" Naruto shouted, standing up and disposing his 3rd cup of ramen in the garbage.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. _Did he just call me Sakura-chan, he barely knows me._

Then Naruto said, "Do you want to come as well, Sasuke-teme?"

Sasuke just shook his head, not looking up from his notebook.

Naruto shrugged and grabbed Sakura's hand. "Let's go!"

Once they were out in the hallway, Naruto shouted. "So what do you want to see first?!"

"Naruto!" Sakura reprimanded. "Shut the hell up before you disrupt everyone in our building," she said.

"Heh, sorry," he said sheepishly.

Sakura just ignored him, shaking her hand out of his and turned around, walking towards the staircase, not caring if Naruto caught up or not, following the map that she had in her hand. She walked out of her dorm building and across the huge campus, to one of the main buildings where most of the sophomore classes were going to be held. Once she got inside, she looked at her schedule and tried to find the corresponding rooms. Only three out of ten classes that she had this semester were in this building. Sakura took out a map of the campus and noticed that her two medical classes that her father reluctantly allowed her to take were across campus. She groaned and checked her watch._ 5:13._ She still had time before dinner, which was at 7:00.

She decided to go, it took about 10 minutes to walk there. Naruto was trailing behind, complaining as to why they were walking there.

"If you are going to complain, why did you come in the first place?!" Sakura said, exasperated and annoyed.

"I'm showing you around!" Naruto defended.

"I am kinda doing this myself, Naruto! You're doing nothing!" Sakura yelled. He pouted and she sighed, rolling her eyes and continued towards the building.

* * *

The next hour, she made her way around campus, looking even at the buildings where she didn't have any classes. Then, she went to the library. It was _huge_. It was four stories high and very elegant looking from the outside.

When they went inside, Sakura gaped at the rows and rows of bookshelves. She was about to explore more when Naruto said, "Why are we here?! Who likes reading?!"

"Shh!" Sakura berated. "This is a library, idiot! You can't speak too loudly in here. And for the record, I love reading!" She scolded in a harsh whisper.

Naruto frowned. He hated reading. He didn't want to read anymore than he had too, and here Sakura read _voluntarily_? "I'm leaving." Naruto said.

Sakura sighed in relief._ Good, now I can stay here in peace._ She looked at her watch 6:54. _Damn it! I wanted to stay here and gawk at all the books, but we have to go to dinner. Oh, man and, I didn't even get to finish looking around._

"Wait, Naruto," she said, making him turn back around. "I'm coming too." She answered his confused expression with, "We have to go to dinner soon and I don't want to be late for the first day. There's going to be an important announcement then."

Naruto only nodded and the two walked back together, for once in silence. When they got back, Sasuke was heading out. They all walked to dinner, reaching right on time.

"Hello students!" A female voice rumbled through the dining hall as Sakura and her roommates tried to find a seat in the busy hall. It was their principal, Tsunade. "Welcome back for another great year!" She paused because some students cheered. "For those of you who are new here, I am Tsunade, your principal. Official classes will start three days from now and clubs will start a week after school begins. You can see what clubs there are any time you want by going to the main administration building and the first week of school will just be to see if you are okay with your classes or not. Sport tryouts start two weeks after school begins. If you have any problems with your roommates, academics or anything like that, call our help desk and we can send over a 'helper.' I...have nothing else to say, so enjoy your dinner!" she said.

The students clapped and cheered. Sakura sat down next to Naruto and Sasuke sat on the other side of Naruto. In front of them, another trio sat down. Two were boys and the other was a girl. One of the boys had two strange, red marks on his cheeks, representing upside down triangles and his teeth looked somewhat like fangs. A small dog rested on his head. The other one had a stoic expression on and you couldn't see his eyes because of the dark glasses that were covering them. The collar of his jacket came up to his mouth and he looked very mysterious. The girl had a very timid and shy expression. She had white orbs as eyes and long navy colored hair that reached the middle of her back.

Sakura smiled at her, and she smiled a small smile back. Sakura was going to ask what her name was when someone sat next to Sakura.

"Hello!" A person in a green spandex suit, which looks as horrifying as it sounds, said. "What's your name?"

"Um, Sakura," she replied. "Haruno Sakura." She was unsure who he was as she had never seen him before. He had insanely bushy eyebrows and a bowl hair cut.

"Oh, what a perfect match with your appearance!" he stated. Then he pointed to himself with his thumb. "My name is Rock Lee, but you can call me the 'Handsome Green Beast of Konoha'!"

Sakura laughed nervously. "Well, um…yeah."

"LEE!" someone else called, who looked like an older version of Lee, making Sakura even more freaked out.

"Coming, Gai-sensei!" Then, he turned back to Sakura and grasped both of her hands in his. "My youthful cherry blossom, I will finish this conversation later." Then he was gone in a flash. Sakura just blinked and shook her head to try and clear the image of his huge eyebrows and bowl haircut. Sakura turned back to the shy girl who witnessed the scene and was giggling and said, "Hey. My name is Sakura. What's yours?"

"H-Hyuuga Hinata," she stuttered.

"Oh, that's a really pretty name."

"Th-Thank you. I-I like your name too."

Sakura smiled and nudged Naruto, telling him that he should introduce himself too. He was too busy eating food to notice the people in front of him.

"Ow! What?" he turned to Sakura and when she gave him a knowing look, he sighed and turned back to the three people in front of him. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I love ramen and martial arts!"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said monotonously and briefly.

The boy with the two triangles and brown messy hair spoke next. "Inuzuka Kiba," he said with a smile. "This is Akamaru," he said, gesturing to the tiny dog that sat on his head. Akamaru barked in greeting.

"Aburame Shino. I like insects," he said, almost in the same tone as Sasuke.

He looked very mysterious and kind of creepy, but Sakura shook it off and smiled at him. And even though his mouth wasn't in her vision, she had an instinct that he was smiling too. _Well, you can't judge a book by it's cover. _

"Nice to meet you all." Then she added, "Are you all in a room together?"

"Yeah," Kiba said, the other two just nodded.

"Cool. So how do you like it here?" Sakura asked.

"I LOVE IT!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura sighed. "I wasn't talking to you, Naruto," Sakura said, irritated that he can't shut up for one minute.

Hinata just giggled shyly and said, "T-The rooms are really nice a-and um…I-I like the classes I have this semester too."

"Yeah. I like my classes too, they seem like they are going to be fun," she paused for a moment. "Did you guys take a walk around campus yet?"

Shino nodded, indicating that he has already. Kiba just said, "Yeah! It is huge!" _He seems a lot like Naruto, really loud. _Sakura thought.

"I-I didn't get the chance to," Hinata said.

"Oh, well how about we go together?" Sakura suggested. "I finished most of the campus, but I didn't get to go to the main library and a few other buildings, however. I really wanted to explore more of the library; I love reading."

"R-really? M-Me too," Hinata said, excited that she had found a potential friend.

Sakura smiled at her.

* * *

The rest of dinner went by with Naruto eating almost everything there and Sakura yelling at him for being an idiot. Hinata giggled at Naruto's childish antics and Sasuke and Shino just sat there, not saying a word. Kiba and Naruto seemed like they wee going to be good friends, with both of their loud mouths.

At the end, Sakura and Hinata walked around campus and compared schedules. They had the medical classes, world history, calculus, AP chemistry, AP biology and physical education together. Sakura took French as a language, while Hinata took Spanish. Also, Sakura wasn't in art, like Hinata was, but in Computers, where you learn things about coding. Also, everyone had lunch together.

As they were walking around campus, they got to know each other better. Hinata's dorm room, room 202 was across the hall and one door to the right from Sakura's, room 205. Hinata had a younger sister, Hanabi, while Sakura was an only child, well now she is...

This was both of their first years at Konoha Boarding Academy. Hinata had been home schooled until then, and now decided to go to real school to try and be more confident with herself as she hated her stutter, but Sakura reassured her that with Kiba and Naruto around, she'll do better in gaining more confidence.

The both of them loved reading, writing (though Hinata could write poetry fairly well, too) and watching movies. When they reached their last stop, the library, they both gaped at it. Even though Sakura had seen it before, she still was amazed by the structure and the elegance of it.

When they walked inside, they looked at most of the different genres the library had to offer. Almost any book they wanted to read, any topic they wanted to research about was in front of them. They spent almost hour at the library, getting to know most of the sections. Both of them were sure that they would be coming here a lot over this year, whether it was to research, study or simply read in the comfy armchairs that were placed almost everywhere they went.

* * *

At around 9:30, they decided head back to their rooms as it was getting late and the both of them were tired. They walked together to their dorm hall, only to find Sakura's dorm room was opened slightly and loud voices could be heard. Sakura and Hinata both looked at each other, before walking inside carefully.

It seemed that Kiba and Naruto were bickering about something, while Shino and Sasuke were just watching them with irritation displayed on their faces.

When the two girls walked in, Kiba had just insulted ramen and Naruto gasped dramatically. "How _dare _you?! Ramen is amazing! IT IS THE KING OF ALL FOOD!"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "NO, IT'S NOT!"

"YEAH, IT IS!"

This went on for about a minute or two later and Sakura was beginning to lose her patience. "SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!" she yelled. "You both are causing such a ruckus and I don't want to get in trouble the first day that we're here! So shut up, before I make you!"

Naruto and Kiba immediately stopped bickering and cowered in fear. "O-Okay," they stammered.

"Besides, what was the argument even about?" Sakura asked.

"Uhhh..." Naruto said.

"To be truthful, I have no idea. It was down to just plain insults," Kiba said, honestly.

Sakura smacked her forehead. _Idiots!_

"And you two didn't care enough to stop them?" Sakura asked Shino and Sasuke.

Shino shrugged. "I didn't feel like getting involved with their stupidity. I can already feel my IQ going down by being in the same room as them."

"HEY!" Naruto and Kiba yelled.

Sasuke opted to not say anything.

Sakura shook her head in disappointment.

"Okay, well. I'm gonna go. So, BYE!" Kiba said, for some reason all cheerfully, going out the door.

Shino followed soon after without saying a word.

"G-Goodnight, S-Sakura-san," she bowed deeply.

"You don't have to be formal with me and drop the '-san,' please. It makes me sound old," Sakura said.

"I-Is S-Sakura-chan okay then?" Hinata asked.

"Of course, Hinata-chan," Sakura smiled and Hinata smiled back. "Good night."

After Hinata had left, Sakura grabbed her pajamas from her closet and went to the bathroom. She came out five minutes later with her pajamas on, her hair pulled back out of her face, and her face washed. Then going to her room, she retrieved the book she was reading and her notebook. Then she went to the living room and settled down on the huge, comfy armchair, leaning her back against one of the arms and swinging her legs over the other, then putting a pillow behind her to make herself more comfortable.

Sasuke was in the living room too, watching something on his laptop with headphones on, sitting on the floor.

She started writing more of the story she had started a couple of days ago, when her peace was interrupted by Naruto, who was lying on his stomach on the couch. "Saaaaakkkuuuuuurrraaaaaaaa-chhaaaaaaaaann," he complained.

Sakura looked up, irritated. "What, Naruto?"

"I'm booooooorreeeeddd!" he shouted.

"Then do something!" Sakura said back. "Do you see Sasuke or me complaining that we are bored?"

Naruto sighed, turning over so that now he was on his back, looking at the cieling. He had a ball in his hands that he was chucking up in the air and then catching repeatedly. "What do I doooooooooooo?"

"I don't know, read or something."

"WHO REEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAADS?!" he exclaimed.

"Naruto, for the second time today, I DO!" Sakura said, referring to the library incident.

"Well, I doooooooooonnnnnn't! So what do I dooooooooooooooo?"

"Naruto, if you don't stop stretching out your words, I will decapitate you!"

"What does deshapifate mean?" Naruto questioned.

"OH MY GOSH! SHUT THE HELL UP! You can't even pronounce words correctly! _Decapitate_ means to cut someone's head off, AND I WILL HAVE NO HESITATIONS TO DO SO, NARUTO! So if you want to live, SHUT UP!" Sakura snapped.

Naruto pouted, but nonetheless shut up. Sakura went back to her story writing. Sasuke, who had begun to write again, just kept on writing and not caring what had been going on between the two idiots as his roommates, but he did adorn a slight smirk on his face.

Sakura stopped writing after she felt tired and wrote a quick journal entry in her journal, explaining what happened today, people she met and things she did. At around 11:30, Sakura went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. When she got back she said, "I'm going to bed, it's been a long day."

"Hn," Sasuke replied. Naruto didn't say anything because after making another cup of instant ramen, he had fallen asleep on the couch.

Sakura went back to her room and plopped down on her mattress that was covered in a quilt that was white with a cherry blossom tree growing from the bottom left corner out. Checking her phone for any new text messages, she saw one message, from her mother.

_That's great, Saku-chan! But TWO BOYS?! Are you serious?! BE CAREFUL, SAKU-CHAN! _

Sakura smiled at her mother and texted her back, ensuring that she'll "be safe."

After putting her phone back on the nightstand, she climbed under her comfy mattresses and turned off her table lamp, laying back on her pillow and falling asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. After all, it had been a long day.

Sasuke stayed up for a little while longer, watching one of his favorite TV shows on his laptop. After he had changed and brushed, he fell asleep at around 1:00 A.M.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hi! Thanks for reading my first story ever published. It means a lot. I know that right now, the story is really slow, but trust me, the pace picks up, so please bare with me! Thanks! Please review so I can get input on what you think about my story. Constructive criticism is really appreciated as it helps me make my story better.

Thanks again!

**~ booklover333**


	2. Chapter 2: New Friends & Roller Skating

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

Sakura's eyes opened at around 6:30, as she was always an early riser, but Sasuke and Naruto were still sleeping.

Grabbing a change of clothes and her towel, she quietly walked to the bathroom and in the next ten minutes, she had showered, changed, brushed her teeth and fixed up her hair. Sakura's outfit today adorned white leggings and a green flowy top that graced her features very nicely. She walked out of the bathroom to see Sasuke awake and sitting on the couch; he seemed to be waiting for to come out of the bathroom.

"Hey," she said once she saw him. "Good morning."

Sasuke only replied with a simple, "Hn," and then stood up and went to take a shower and brush.

Sakura rolled her eyes. He came out a little while later, toweling his damp hair. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts. Sakura blushed a little, but then stopped, reminding herself that he was a jerk.

Since Sakura was starting to get hungry, she went into Naruto's room in an effort to wake him up so they could all go down to breakfast together. After trying to wake up Naruto several times and failing, she had had enough, "NARUTO! RAMEN IS FREE DOWNSTAIRS!" She screamed in his ear.

Naruto eyes shot open and he sat up abruptly in bed. "REALLY?!"

Sakura shook her head in irritation. "No, idiot. That was only to get you up."

He whined because she had lied to him and after he had finally gotten ready, the three went down to get breakfast, which was available at any times between 6:00 and 8:00. They saw Hinata, Shino and Kiba there too and Sakura waved. Hinata waved back.

Sakura went to go sit with them, followed by Naruto and Sasuke. "Hey guys!" she said.

"Why are you so cheery? It's only 7:30 in the morning," Kiba grumbled.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan! Why did you wake me up so early?!" Naruto said in the same tone.

"I'm a morning person and 7:00 is not an early time to wake up, Naruto!" Sakura replied.

"For you, maybe," Kiba and Naruto said in unison.

"Hinata and Shino woke up early and decided to wake me up too," Kiba complained. "School hasn't even started yet! LET ME REST IN PEACE!"

"That expression is used when people have died, Kiba," Shino stated matter-of-factly.

Kiba glared at him. "Well, I don't care; I feel as tired as a dead person!"

"...Dead people wouldn't be able to feel anything..."

Kiba groaned in frustration. "It's too early for this! Shut up!"

Then, before anyone could reply, a girl with two buns in her hair came up to their table, followed by two boys and said, "May we sit here?"

Sakura nodded, scooting over a bit to give the girl some room to sit next to Sakura. Another boy with long hair tied into a low ponytail sat down beside her.

Rock Lee, one of the two boys who were following the bun-haired girl, then exclaimed, "Oh! My youthful cherry blossom! You have met my roommates!"

Sakura only nodded and smiled slightly, kind of weirded out. Lee went to sit next to Shino, on the other side of the table.

"I'm Tenten, just Tenten," the girl with two buns said.

"Sakura," Sakura replied. "This is Naruto and Sasuke," she said, gesturing to each one as she said their names. Naruto waved cheekily, while Sasuke said nothing.

Tenten nudged the boy beside her, silently telling him to introduce himself. He looked up from his food at the others. "I'm Hyuuga Neji," he spoke monotonously, just like Sasuke.

_Great another human ice cube, _Sakura thought. Then she realized something. _Wait. Hyuuga? _

"G-Good morning, Neji-niisan," Hinata said.

Neji nodded back to her in acknowledgment.

"You're his sister?" Sakura inquired. _I thought she said she only had one sibling, her younger sister, Hanabi. _

"N-No. Neji-niisan is my cousin," Hinata cleared up.

"Oh," Sakura said. _Well that makes more sense. _

"G-Good morning Tenten-chan and L-Lee-san," Hinata continued.

Lee nodded at her like Neji did, but with a smile on his face and Tenten said, "Good morning, Hinata-chan!"

* * *

Through breakfast, Sakura learned that Tenten had no parents and had been here since last year. She and her roommates were also in the same year as them.

Neji and Hinata lived together because Neji's parents had died as well and Hinata's father, being Neji's uncle, took him in - which explains why Hinata calls him a "brother."

Neji, Tenten and Lee had a dorm room together, but they were in on another floor than Sakura's and Hinata's dorm rooms. Neji and Tenten have been childhood friends since the age of 5, and they have known each other since, for about 10 years.

* * *

After breakfast, Sakura decided that she would go to go see what clubs there were and see if she could join any. Clubs would officially start next week, but she still wanted to see which ones there were so she could get an idea.

Hinata came with her, but Tenten didn't because she already knew, being there last year too. Different clubs were dispersed around campus, so they decided to go to the main department building, as the principal had said last night during dinner.

When they got there, they asked the man sitting at the desk where they could find club information and he handed them a pamphlet with all the clubs on it. It came with a pen, so Sakura and Hinata checked off the ones they thought would be interesting.

Some of the ones we checked off were, _Art Club, Mathletes, Tennis, Volleyball, Archery, _etc.

They first went to Art Club, which as the pamphlet said was located in Room 118 of Building C. They were both interested in art and loved to draw and paint, even though Sakura's schedule couldn't fit in art. There, the advisers of the club said that they meet every Monday and Wednesday afternoon and that they can also come on Sundays if they have free time. Hinata and Sakura were both pretty sure that they were going to participate in that, but they wouldn't if it conflicted with any other clubs.

Then they went to Mathletes. Sakura had always been interested in math. She thought it was fascinating how you could do one problem so many ways but always get the same answer, so you know you are correct but you can be creative for solving it too. They met every Tuesday afternoon.

They tried to find the Sports section, but that didn't start up until a week or two in school, so they went to Archery. Hinata had loved the idea of archery and had a mini dart board at home. That met every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday which conflicted with Art, but they could figure that out later.

By this time, it was already around 2:30 and they were both getting hungry again. "Wow, time flew by didn't it?" Sakura said. "How about we grab some late lunch first, then we can continue this?" Sakura suggested.

Hinata nodded in agreement. They went to the school cafe since lunch was already served at 12:00 through 2:00 in the dining hall.

After lunch, they walked around campus, looking at more clubs.

"W-We can come back later, if y-you want," Hinata stuttered, noting that her friend was tired.

"Sure, I'm so tired. All this walking," Sakura said. She was a pretty athletic girl, but walking in sandals that hurt her toes after walking for hours, was painful.

"L-Let's go back to the dorm rooms," Hinata offered.

Sakura nodded and they started the walk back to their rooms. When they were reached the second floor, which their dorm rooms were on, someone bumped into Sakura, looking frantic.

"S-Sorry!" The girl stuttered out. She had blonde hair and blue cerulean eyes, and it reminded the girls of Naruto.

"It's fine," Sakura reassured. Then noting her terrified look, she asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Oh, um," she smiled sheepishly. "I just saw a bug and I hate bugs, their disgusting legs and ugly faces," she shuddered by just talking about them.

Sakura laughed. "Okay." After a pause, she said, "I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura. What's your name?"

"Yamanaka Ino." The girl replied.

"Nice to meet you. This is Hyuuga Hinata-chan." Sakura said.

"N-N-Nice to meet you," Hinata said, stuttering more than usual because of a new face.

"So, where is your dorm room?" Sakura asked.

"Umm...Room 208," Ino replied.

"Oh, really? That's right near ours. Come on," Sakura said.

The three girls walked to their dorms, and Ino invited them to meet

her roommates. The girls agreed and Ino walked to her room and opened the door with her key. "Guys! Come meet my friends!"

A guy with a tired expression on his face woke up from sleeping on the couch with an irritated expression on his face and muttered out a, "Troublesome." He had a haired tied up in a spiky ponytail and ear piercings.

Another boy came out of a room, that was probably his, eating barbeque chips. He was pretty large and had little red swirls on his face.

"Introduce yourselves!" Ino reprimanded, very motherly like.

The guy with the spiked ponytail deeply sighed. "Umm...hi. I'm Nara Shikamaru," he yawned.

The other boy said, "I'm Akimichi Chouji! Nice to meet you."

The girls introduced themselves and afterwards, Shikamaru said, "Cool. Now, Ino why did you wake me up?" Then he muttered under his breath, "This is so troublesome," and he flopped back down onto the couch.

However Ino heard it and sighed, rolling her eyes she said, "I apologize for his behaviour, he is always saying that everything is 'troublesome.'"

Hinata softly giggled and Sakura said, "It's fine. Once you meet our roommates, you will be glad to have them." She paused and said, "Come on. We'll introduce them to you."

Ino said, "Okay." Then she turned to her roommates. "You guys are coming too!"

Chouji knew there was no point in arguing with Ino so he agreed.

Shikamaru replied with, "Noooo, it is too troublesome to move and do things."

"You're hopeless," Ino stated. Then she dragged Shikamaru from the couch and he landed ungracefully on the floor with a loud, _thump. _

After he finally got up, they all left and went to Hinata's dorm room first. But there was no there, so they went to Sakura's, figuring the guys must be in there together.

When Sakura opened the door, she was about to introduce her roommates to her new friends, but she couldn't because Kiba and Naruto were fighting again.

"There!" Naruto threw a stuffed dog at Kiba, but it hit Sakura. This unknown to Naruto, he continued, "Happy?! NOW GIVE ME KYUUBI BACK!" Naruto exclaimed.

"How dare you throw Shogo?!" Kiba screamed back, Akamaru barked in agreement, "NOW YOU'RE NOT GETTING KYUUBI BACK!"

"THAT IS NOT FAIR, YOU-" but Naruto was cut off from Sakura punching him. They all became quiet.

"Give it to me," Sakura said, holding out her hand to Kiba. Kiba placed the small stuffed fox supposedly named Kyuubi into her hand, not wanting to face her wrath.

"Here," she said, giving it to Naruto. "Now go pick that up and give it to Kiba," she said. He picked up Shogo and gave it to Kiba.

Sakura sighed, putting her hands on her hips and said, "Really, guys? You can't be mature for one minute? You're in 10th grade now." Then she turned back to her new friends, who just looked at the whole scene and blinked, trying to process what happened. "Okay, now let's start this over."

Before Sakura could say anything more, Naruto shouted, "Hi! I am Uzumaki Naruto!" once he saw new faces.

"Uh...I'm Yamanaka Ino," Ino said, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Akimichi Chouji," he said, munching on his new bag of chips.

Shikamaru sighed. _Why does everything have to be so troublesome? _"I'm-" he paused to yawn, "Nara Shikamaru."

The others introduced themselves and then Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji stayed for a while and they all talked. Well, Shikamaru slept only to be rudely awaken by Ino who screamed in his ear to wake him up.

* * *

Ino, Hinata and both of their roommates left around 5:30 and when they did, Sakura asked, "What were you fighting about this time?"

Naruto pouted, fake and dramatic tears in his eyes. "Kiba found Kyuubi and started to make fun of him and me, for having a stuffed animal. Then, Shino told me how Kiba has a stuffed dog and I found it in his room and then we started fighting about which is better. I stole his dog and he stole my _precious_ Kyuubi and then you came in."

"Idiots," Sakura said.

Sasuke had said nothing this whole time, even when Ino and the others were here, except for his name when he introduced himself.

He just sat there, listening to music, not really bothering to be involved in the conversation.

_I think Kiba likes Ino. He kept on blushing every time she looked at him. She is rather pretty, _Sakura thought.

Naruto and Sakura spent the rest of the evening talking about what clubs they might join and Sakura realized that he could be a very easy person to talk to when he wasn't complaining or talking about ramen.

Sasuke read, wrote more, watched TV and just sat there listening to music until it was dinner time. The three went down to dinner and sat with Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Tenten, Neji and Lee. They all talked, with the exception of Shikamaru (who was too tired to say anything), Chouji (who was too busy eating), Shino, Sasuke and Neji.

_Sasuke and Neji really are like human ice cubes!_ Sakura thought.

* * *

After dinner, Hinata, Ino, Tenten and Sakura all walked together, laughing and talking like they had been friends forever, to their dorm rooms, the boys trailing behind, muttering things between themselves.

"So, since tomorrow is the last day until school starts, don't you think we should do something fun?" Ino asked.

"L-Like what?" Hinata asked.

"Ummm…I don't know, like maybe going to see a movie or roller-skating." Ino replied.

"Oh my gosh, I love roller-skating!" Tenten said.

"Yeah, same. The school also has an awesome rink too, about 10 minutes walking distance," Sakura agreed.

"Okay, let's go roller-skating, then," Ino stated. "Is that okay, Hinata-chan?"

"Um...w-well I-I am not that good at r-roller skating," Hinata quietly said.

"It's okay, neither am I. But we can help you," Ino assured, slinging an arm through hers.

She blushed. "O-Okay," she said, agreeing.

They all separated and told their roommates who all either agreed or got forced to agree.

* * *

When Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke got to their dorm room, Sakura immediately went to the bathroom and did her normal routine. Then she plopped down on her bed and wrote in her journal. After a while, she decided to finally take out the new laptop her parents had gotten her for school work.

She watched a sad movie on it, called _I Will Forever Be Yours_. Sakura was not usually girly, but she loved this movie even it was "cute."

When she finished the movie, she noticed that it was already 1:43 A.M. She yawned and went to the living room to retrieve her notebook and book she had forgotten there. Sasuke was still up, but Naruto had fallen asleep in his room.

"Do you ever sleep?" she asked, poking fun at him.

"Hn," his gruff reply came.

Sakura rolled her eyes and stretched as she yawned again. "Well, since I am not a _vampire_, unlike _some_ people, I'm going to bed."

A vampire personality did fit Sasuke very well. He was pale, slept very late (or as Sakura thought didn't sleep at all and stayed up all night) and had a mysterious personality.

Sakura fell asleep quickly and woke up again early next morning. The same routine followed as it had yesterday. When Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were dressed and showered, they went to get breakfast.

* * *

"What time do you guys want to go roller-skating?" Tenten asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I'm fine with any time, just not too late since school starts tomorrow."

"How about going after lunch?" Kiba suggested.

Everyone either nodded, said "okay," or didn't say anything at all.

After breakfast, Hinata, Sakura, Tenten and Ino finished quickly and rushed up to Hinata's room. There, they planned what they were going to wear. Well, Ino and Hinata did. Sakura and Tenten hated shopping and all those girly things.

When Ino had finished with Hinata's and her own, she turned to Sakura. "How about this?" She asked, holding up a mini jeans skirt with a white shirt that said "Cutie" in read on it.

"Definitely not," Sakura said right away.

And before Ino could offer it to Tenten, Tenten put her hand up and said, "Don't even think about it."

Ino stuck her tongue out at the two of them and after a while of bickering, they had decided what to wear and went down to lunch.

After a quick lunch, they quickly got ready.

Ino was wearing a purple shorts, a white tank top that was covered with a black leather jacket, that only came up to about mid-back and strappy black sandals. She brought her camera with her, so that she could take pictures of their memories.

Hinata was wearing blue capris, a sheer white top and black sandals that were similar to Ino's.

Sakura was wearing white shorts that stopped mid-thigh with a black t-shirt on top it that had a red flower on it in the middle.

Tenten was wearing blue shorts that were the same length as Sakura's and a white t-shirt that had a peace sign on it. She also had her necklace that had a little fake kunai hanging off of it as she loved weapons, which she always wore.

They met the boys downstairs and they all walked to the campus' roller skating rink. All the while the girls were talking and the guys were murmuring with themselves or not talking at all, again trailing behind them.

* * *

When the group reached the rink, they quickly changed out of their regular shoes and got roller skates. Sasuke, Sakura, Neji and Tenten were the first ones on the rink out of the group. They were all fairly good. The rest came later, except for Hinata and Ino, who didn't want to try it until Sakura and Tenten dragged them out. The next half an hour flew by with everyone having fun. Shikamaru just stood there, in the middle of the rink, until someone screamed, "WATCH OUT!"

The next thing you knew the person who had crashed into him was on top of him and he was underneath them.

The person hastily got off of him and instead of saying sorry, she said, "Why don't you actually skate? We are on a rink, you know!" The girl had blonde hair tied in 4 spiky pony tails and green, piercing eyes.

Shikamaru just raised an eyebrow and said, "Shouldn't you be apologizing, troublesome woman?"

The "troublesome woman" just narrowed her eyes and said, "Well shouldn't you be actually _moving_ instead of being a lazy jerk?!"

"It's too troublesome," Shikamaru replied.

"Then why the hell are you here?!"

He shrugged. "Don't know. My friends made me come." Then under his breath he said, "Ugh, talking...so troublesome."

However, the girl heard that. "_You _are the troublesome one!" she said, annoyed with the man in front of her.

"I would say something to shut you up, but it is too troublesome."

"OH, MY GOSH! You are impossible!" She skated off, trying to get

away from Shikamaru and his "stupidity".

For some reason, Shikamaru skated after her, very slowly obviously.

She wasn't very good so it didn't take Shikamaru long to catch up to her.

When she noticed him, she said, "What do you want now?!"

"Weren't you the one who wanted me to skate like 30 seconds ago?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You really are so irritating."

Shikamaru smirked.

"Get that smirk off your face, it's stupid, just like you!" she yelled, but this just made Shikamaru smirk even more. She grew irritated and to calm herself down, she decided to skate faster, to get away from the smirking teenager. However, when she tried to skate faster, she quickly lost her balance, and was about fall, when two strong arms caught her.

"You really should thank me, I saved you from getting hurt twice," Shikamaru said while smirking.

The both of them thought they saw a flash, but they ignored it, thinking it was just one of the many lights all around.

She didn't say anything while she squirmed out of his arms, standing upright on two feet. "I'm surprised you didn't just let me fall. I would've thought you thought it was too 'troublesome' to save me."

"It was. You're lucky," Shikamaru smirked lazily again. Then he did a very un-Shikamaru-like thing, he held out his hand. "Nara Shikamaru," he introduced himself.

She hesitantly took it. "Sabaku no Temari."

"Oh really? Now I can call you Troublesome Temari."

She rolled her eyes and yanked her hand back, "Well Shikamaru, I am actually going to _skate_, not just be a lazy jerk so, bye." And with that, she skated off. Shikamaru watched her as she skated, losing her balance a couple of times but never falling completely. He smirked, then skated back to the sitting area so he could sleep since this was getting too troublesome.

Ino and Hinata were starting to get better skating with the help of Sakura and Tenten. After a while, Sakura and Tenten left them to try it by themselves and had races with Sasuke and Neji. It was mostly just Neji and Tenten since Sasuke was too "cool" to race with Sakura.

"So, how come you're such a good skater? Have you done this before?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke just looked at her and shrugged. "First time."

Sakura looked surprised. "Really? Wow. You have no idea how many times I fell on my first time, I was sore for days." She laughed at the memory and this got a small smirk from Sasuke.

They continued skating while talking, mostly Sakura telling him something and him replying with, "Hn," a grunt or nothing at all.

_How can someone be so quiet? Wouldn't they want to voice their opinion about something? I don't think he is shy, especially since he is only talking to me._ Sakura wondered. Because she was not paying attention, she bumped into someone and fell hard on the floor.

"Owww," she moaned. _Do I have to be such a klutz all the damn time?_

She tried getting up, without support only to fall again, just as hard. She cursed slightly, knowing this would leave a bruise on her butt.

Then she saw a hand in her face. Following her gaze up the person's arm, she saw Sasuke holding out his hand. She raised her eyebrows and looked at his hand.

"Are you going to take it or just sit there the whole day?" he asked.

Sakura smiled, held Sasuke's hand and stood up with his support.

"Thanks."

"Hn."

They skated together for a little while longer, not talking that much.

Sakura looked around, trying to find her friends.

Hinata was skating very slowly, holding onto Naruto's hand like her life depended on it, who was not great himself, but they both looked like they were having a good time.

Ino was a bit better than Hinata and was skating with Kiba. _Ah ha! I knew it!_ Sakura thought.

Neji and Tenten were still skating the fastest out of the whole group, trying to beat each other. Neji only looked less serious and stoic only when he was with Tenten, but Tenten did say how they knew each other since they were little.

She then saw Shikamaru sleeping. _He probably thought it was too troublesome to skate for too long_. She scoffed slightly and shook her head.

Then she turned back to Sasuke, "How long have you been here? At this school?" Sakura inquired.

"3 years," Sasuke replied.

"Oh, and were you Naruto's roommate before? When he came in he said something about that."

"Hn. For 2 years," he said.

"Oh okay." Then she paused, unsure whether to ask him the question that was bugging her, then she finally did. "Hey, um, what are you always writing about in your notebook? You seem to write a lot."

Sasuke glared at her. "None of your business."

"Well, no need to get all defensive. I was just asking, jerk." Then she skated faster to meet up with Tenten who had left Neji for a while.

Sasuke watched her skate ahead of him. _Definitely not a fangirl, thank God._ Sasuke had had bad experiences with fangirls in the past, he was just happy that Sakura wasn't a fangirl since he would be living with her for the whole year.

Last year, Sasuke and Naruto had a roommate named Akia, who was a major fangirl of Sasuke and was super annoying. Sasuke was just about ready to shoot himself. The year before that, Naruto and Sasuke were in a doubles room and the first year that Sasuke came to the board academy, he was in a single. He loved it then, there was no one to bother you and now he has 2 idiot roomates again, as he thought.

* * *

When they were all tired, they decided to go back to their dorm rooms. Hinata, Ino, Sakura and Tenten all went to Ino's room. They had kicked Shikamaru and Chouji out beforehand, telling them to go somewhere else. For the next hour they all talked, getting to know each other better.

Then when dinner rolled around, they ate and head back to their own respective dorm rooms. Sakura organized everything she would be needing for classes and sat in the living room and read, sitting in the huge armchair that she loved to read and write in. Around 10:30, she had dozed off to sleep while reading.

Sasuke came out of his room to go to the bathroom when he saw Sakura curled up on the armchair, sleeping. He ooked at her, deciding what to do.

He was about to just leave her there when Sakura stirred. Her face looked troubled and she seemed to be having a nightmare.

Sasuke sighed and finally decided to pick her up, bringing her to her room. Tucking her in her bed, Sasuke looked at Sakura's now serene face and smirked, shutting off the light.

Then he left.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hi! Thank you for continuing to ready my fanfiction! It means so much to me! Can you please tell me what you think of it? I will only like to update faster if you guys review and tell me if you like it or not. If you do not like it or thinks it needs improvements, please tell me and I'll try to improve them.

Thanks again!

**~ booklover333**


	3. Chapter 3: Fangirls

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

When Sakura woke up, she noticed she was in her bed. _Didn't I fall asleep on the armchair in the living room? Eh, whatever. Oh dammit I have school today!_ She looked at her alarm clock. _6:08,_ it said.

Sighing in relief, she realized that she still had over an hour to get to class and quickly got ready. When she was about to go to breakfast alone, Sasuke came out of the bathroom ready as well. They woke up the sleeping Naruto, mostly Sakura, with her slapping him and after a long time, they all finally went to breakfast. They only saw Tenten and her roommates, so they ate with them.

When they were done, it was 7:04, about a half hour before school started so she decided to see what was taking Ino and Hinata so long. When she got to Hinata's room, it turned out she had eaten before and was now showering. Shino was ready as well, but Kiba was still asleep. Shino decided to wake him up and with much difficulty, finally succeeded.

Since Hinata was still showering, Sakura decided to go to Ino's room alone and see why she wasn't at breakfast. She knocked on the door and when there was no response, she timidly opened the door and went into their rooms to see all of them sleeping.

Sakura rolled her eyes and screamed, "IT IS 7:10 AND SCHOOL STARTS IN 20 MINUTES, SO GET OFF YOUR DAMN BUTTS AND GET READY!"

With that said, Ino woke up and rubbed her eyes, and said, "Sakura?" Then when she realized what Sakura had said, she screamed, "Oh, damn it!" and got ready.

When they all had finally got ready, they only had 4 minutes to get to class. Hinata, Sasuke, Chouji, Shino, Kiba and Sakura all had homeroom together.

Running there, they made it seconds before the bell rang. Hinata and Sakura sat together in one of those lab desks, while Shino and Sasuke sat together, not talking since they were just sitting there. Chouji and Kiba were talking, well Kiba was while Chouji was eating.

When the bell rang for 1st period to start, Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke and Shino walked together to Calculus. When they got there, no teacher was there, so everyone was just talking and playing around. Ten minutes later, still no teacher had come and Sakura was getting irritated. _Shouldn't the teacher be here? IT'S THE FIRST DAMN DAY OF SCHOOl! _

* * *

More than half the period had gone by when the door slid open and a man came in, an orange colored book stuffed in his face that he was reading intently. He sported spiky gray hair that was sure to defy gravity, a mask that covered all of his face except for his right eye and one of his hands shoved into his pocket while the other held the book very close to his face. He slumped down into the chair behind the teacher's desk.

Everyone was quiet, wondering if man was their teacher or not and why was he so late if he was. After minutes of just sitting there, a random person whose name Sakura didn't know yelled obnoxiously, "Who are you?!"

The eccentric man looked up for the first time and his gaze lazily rested on the boy. "I'm your teacher," he said, his voice just as lazy as his actions.

"Then why are you so late?!" Another boy yelled out.

The man just sighed and said, "I was helping an old lady cross the street."

"LIAR!" another random person yelled out.

"Ugh, whatever," he reluctantly put down his book and sighed, lazily looking up at the class with his one visible eye. "Class, I am your teacher, Hatake Kakashi and...yeah whatever."

He then took out some papers from a desk drawer. "This," he gestured to the papers he was holding, "has questions about yourself on it. Answer them and then trade them with someone you don't know."

When Kakashi handed Sakura her her paper, she looked at the first question after writing her name and the date on the top left corner.

_**1\. What do you like to do? **_

Sakura thought for a while then wrote down:

_Writing, reading, playing sports, singing, playing the piano and hanging out with friends. _

_**2\. What is your favorite subject(s)?**_

_Math and English _

_**3\. Are you planning on doing any clubs or signing up for sports? If so, list them.**_

_Yes, tennis, volleyball, mathletes, archery and art club. (so far) _

_**4\. What is your favorite food?**_

Sakura thought about this one, she loved to eat and didn't really care about her weight obsessively like other girls her age did. Then, she finally put down: _Don't have one, too many good choices. _

_**5\. What is your favorite color(s)?**_

_Lavender, turquoise and teal. _

Afterwards, Sakura looked up to see most people done and only a few people left.

After a while, Kakashi said to switch papers with another person you didn't know. Sakura didn't know who to pick since she wasn't that great at talking to new people who didn't have anything in common with her. She stood there awkwardly until a girl who was a little taller than Sakura, had blonde hair tied up in 4 spiky ponytails and green, piercing eyes came up to Sakura and introduced herself.

"Hey. My name is Temari. Wanna be partners?" she asked.

"U-Uh sure. I'm Sakura," she said.

For the next twenty minutes of class, they talked about their favorite things to do and Temari was planning to join volleyball as well, but she also wanted to join the boy's soccer team, since the girl's soccer team was apparently too "soft" for her liking, which was going on at the same time as volleyball - so she had to make a decision of that.

Sakura also found out that Temari had brothers at the school, Gaara and Kankuro who all had a dorm room together, on the same floor as Tenten, the fourth floor.

When the bell rang, Sakura said a quick "goodbye" to Hinata and walked to English with her new friend, Temari.

* * *

Their English teacher, Yuhi Kurenai was a nice, but strict teacher, giving them half the period to talk with people you didn't know and get to know each other better. Then, the played a fun game with the whole class. Sakura and Temari both knew that they were going to have fun in that class.

Next, Sakura had a medical class with Hinata. She went into the room to see Hinata fidgeting with her fingers, sitting at a desk. Sakura walked over to Hinata, taking a seat next to her and they quietly talked with each other until Sasuke came in the room.

Sakura tilted her head slightly in confusion. _Sasuke is taking medical classes? I would have never thought that. _Sasuke sat in front of Sakura and Hinata silent;y, waiting for class to start.

The teacher for all the medical classes, who was also the principal, was Tsunade, as she was very skilled in the medical field as well. She had eyes the color of honey, blonde hair tied in two low pigtails and a white lab coat on. Today in class, she explained the importance of herbs and how to make very basic remedies to cure small diseases.

Then Sakura had French class, taught by a teacher named Ebisu, who had dark glasses on his head and a mysterious look upon his face. She sat next to Ino.

When lunch came, she quickly found Tenten, Hinata and Ino. They all sat together and ate with their roommates who didn't talk as much as they did. The girls talked the whole period as they had so much to tell each other about their first half of the day at school.

When the bell rang, the girls groaned, threw out their garbage and headed to their next classes.

She went to AP Biology which was also taught by Tsunade, since it was about science and cells. Sasuke was in that class too, and since he was the only one she knew, she sat next to him. When she sat down, a girl with fiery red hair and glasses gasped dramatically and screeched, "How dare you sit next to _my_ Sasuke-_kun_?!"

Sakura winced at the sound of her high-pitched voice, while Sasuke glared. "Umm, because I don't anyone else in this class?" Sakura said.

"Well, that gives you no right to sit next to my Sasuke-kun!" the girl shrieked again.

"Great to know," Sakura sarcastically said.

"GET OUT OF MY SEAT! YOU CAN'T SIT NEXT TO SASUKE-KUN ANYMORE!" the girl yelled.

"And you can't tell me what to do!" Sakura said back harshly.

SASUKE-KUN DOESN'T WANT TO SIT NEXT TO YOU, YOU HUMONGOUS FOREHEAD!" she replied.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the girl; she hated it when people made fun of her forehead. When Sakura was younger, she used to get bullied all the time for her supposedly "large" forehead. It wasn't even that large! "Sasuke can decide from himself and I don't care what you have to say, so leave me alone!" she retorted hotly.

The bell rang and the fire-hydrant colored hair girl unwillingly walked back to her seat, all the while glaring at Sakura.

* * *

Throughout the period, she got death glares from almost all of the girls in the class. When she had enough, she leaned over to Sasuke and said, "Why are the glaring at me? What did I do?"

"You're sitting next to me," he replied simply, his hands locked together in front of his face; his regular position.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "So what? Why do they care?"

Sasuke deeply sighed and said, "They're my fangirls."

Sakura's eyes widened and she nodded in understanding now. She had a few encounters with fanboys, but she heard that fangirls are _way_ worse.

Trying to ignore all the glares she was getting, she focused on what her teacher was saying.

Afterwards, she walked with Hinata to AP Chemistry. The class was taught by a man named Asuma Sarutobi who was a lay-back kind of guy, but not as much as Kakashi. They had the first day free to do whatever they wanted.

Next, she went to World History. It turned out that Temari was in that class too, as well as Ino. Sakura introduced them to each other and they quickly became friends.

Time flew by as Sakura found herself in her last Medical Class, which was about learning a lot of things you need to know to become a doctor. Like the names of medicines, the way to treat people, what precautions to take, how to help someone, etc.

The last period was Gym, which all of Sakura's friends were in. They quickly changed into the clothes that the school had provided them to wear for Gym. For the girls, it was a white t-shirt which said Konoha Boarding Academy on the top left, near their hearts with blue shorts, with white stripes running down the sides of it. For the boys, it was basically the same except that the shorts were longer.

The rest of the period everyone just played basketball or talked. Ino and Hinata didn't like sports very much, so they just stayed with each other and jump roped. Sakura, Temari and Tenten, however, were somewhat tomboys and liked athletics, so they joined the boys who were playing a basketball game. They divided themselves up into teams and played until the end of the period. Sakura's team won.

Once they changed and the bell had rang, everyone went back to their dorms. All the girls went to the 2nd floor's common room talked and played video games with each other until dinner.

* * *

At dinner, more introductions were made and once everyone knew everyone else, the girls talked endlessly, with Naruto butting in every once in a while.

Shikamaru and Temari were bickering with each other, with Shikamaru saying she is a "troublesome woman" and Temari retorting back saying he is a "lazy jerk."

Near the end of dinner, the girl who had irritated Sakura in AP Biology came up to her table again. Since Sakura was sitting next to Sasuke, she said, "I thought I told you to not sit next to Sasuke-kun anymore."

"And I thought I told you that you can't tell me what to do," Sakura's reply came.

"Oh my gosh, you and your stupid forehead! YOU CAN'T DO WHATEVER YOU WA-!"

She got interrupted by Sasuke. "Leave Karin." Sasuke's voice had venom dripping off of it.

Karin cowered in fear, but said, "O-Okay. Anything for you Sasuke-kun!" and then left.

Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks," to Sasuke. She knew that it was going to be one heck of a school year if this kept up. _Karin, huh? I better watch out for her. She's not going to give up that easily._

He nodded in response.

When Sakura went back to her dorm room, she fell asleep quickly, not wanting to think about Karin any longer.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Sorry, I know that this chapter is short compared to my others ones and kinda boring too, but mehhh. Sorrrry. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW. So many people viewed the story and have read it, but have reviewed except one person whom I greatly love (_koolkid_). You have no idea how much an author loves it when he/she gets feedback from the readers and tips on how to make their story better. SO PLEASE REVIEW!

Oh, and here is Sakura's schedule and the people she has classes with. I am not writing everyone's schedule, because there's like 15 people who have schedules who are part of the "main story line." AND IM NOT DOING THAT (because I'm lazy...hehe).

**Sakura's Schedule:**

**Homeroom:** (with Sasuke, Hinata, Shino, Chouji, Kiba)

**Period 1:** Calculus - Kakashi (with Sasuke, Hinata, Temari, Shino, Karin)

**Period 2:** English - Kurenai (Temari, Neji, Gaara)

**Period 3:** Medical Class - Tsunade (Hinata, Sasuke)

**Period 4:** French - Ebisu (Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Kankuro)

**Period 5: **Lunch: with everyone, Karin

**Period 6:** AP Biology - Tsunade (Sasuke, Karin)

**Period 7:** AP Chemistry - Asuma (Sasuke, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Gaara, Temari, Karin, Shikamaru)

**Period 8:** World History - Iruka (Naruto, Chouji, Kiba, Ino, Temari, Lee, Neji, Kankuro, Gaara, Shikamaru)

**Period 9:** Medical Class - Tsunade (Ino)

**Period 10:** Gym/ Home Ec. - Gai (everyone, Karin)/ Jiraiya (Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Kankuro, Temari)

Yeah, I know that there are 10 periods, even though there are USUALLY 9, but whatever. And the last period is like every other day, so like one day they have gym and the next day, they have Home Ec, then it goes back to gym. Get it? And I know there hasn't been a lot of SasuSaku yet, but there is soon! Patience is the key, young children. Hehe. So yeaaah. PLEASE REVIEW.

Thanks again!

**~ booklover333**


	4. Chapter 4: The Past & Tears

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 4****:**

Sakura sat in her Calculus class, drumming her fingers on the desk. It was the 9th day of school, Thursday and the class was waiting for their teacher, again. The whole last week and the previous 3 days Kakashi was late to class. No teachers had given any big homework assignments yet, but Sakura and all of her friends were still so busy from all the work of school and clubs.

Hinata and Temari were talking about something, and Sakura was listening, but she wasn't really paying attention.

It had been 15 minutes since class had started and Kakashi was late yet again. Sakura turned to Sasuke who was behind her and said, "Do you know why Kakashi is late every day? He makes up an excuse, but he is obviously lying."

"He has been like that forever. I had him for homeroom last year and he never showed up," Sasuke answered.

Sakura and Sasuke had gotten closer over the days. Of course he wasn't talking freely with her, but she received more than a one-word answer or a grunt most of the time.

Sakura sighed, turned around and slumped in her seat. Five minutes later, Kakashi finally came in.

"SENSEI!" A chorus of shouts came.

Kakashi looked up from his book and laughed nervously. "Um…I saw a black cat cross my path so I had to go ALL the way around town."

There was shouts of "liar," "yeah, right" and other things. Kakashi just handed them all a sheet of paper with hard calculus problems on it and said, "Do this worksheet today and if you don't finish it, do it for homework. This is your first homework grade of the school year."

Groans were heard and some boy said, "We only have like 20 minutes left! How are we supposed to finish 30 problems in that much time?!"

Kakashi glared at him. "Do you want me to give you more?"

The boy gulped and shook his head. When everyone started working, Kakashi went back to his book.

* * *

About 15 minutes later, Sakura and Sasuke finished at around the same time and stood up to hand their papers in. Since they both stood up at the same time, they looked at each other in surprise. Sakura had been among the smartest at her previous school and Sasuke was the top scorer on all his exams, along with Shikamaru.

Sasuke just smirked and Sakura smiled in response. They both went to Kakashi's desk and put their papers on it. Karin, who turned out to be in this class too, stuck out her foot when Sakura was about to return to her desk and Sakura being oblivious and clumsy as she is, tripped. She was about to fall when she grabbed instinctively on Sasuke's shirt, who was in front of her.

Sasuke stopped and then turned around, making sure she was stable.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Sakura nodded in response, getting her balance again.

Sasuke then left to go to his seat. Karin growled at Sakura since she had just made contact with her precious Sasuke-kun.

Sakura headed back to her seat.

* * *

Karin had non-stop annoyed Sakura since Monday. She had put bugs in Sakura's locker, poured juice on Sakura during lunch, tripped her numerous times, spread lies and dirty rumors about her and much more.

It had only been 9 days! Sakura knew that the rest of the year was going to be torture. But, surprisingly, Sasuke glared at Karin most of the time and that was enough to scare her off for a while.

Sakura had developed fanboys over the course of days as well, which Sasuke always saved her from, by pulling her away and giving the boys death glares. Sakura could always beat them up, but Sasuke never let her have the chance.

The day flew by and when Sakura was eating lunch, she was just sitting there.

"ra...Sakura…Sakura….SAKURA!" Ino yelled, finally jolting Sakura out of her daze.

"Sorry, what?" she said, not knowing what was going on.

"What is with you today, you're totally out of it," Tenten asked. "Are you feeling okay?"

Sakura shrugged. "I guess. I don't really know."

This got Sasuke's attention and he leaned over to her to put a hand on her forehead. Sakura blushed, but he didn't seem to notice. "You don't seem hot."

Sakura nodded and stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a bit."

Sasuke and her friends just nodded. Sakura walked slowly toward the bathroom, she was starting to feel a little bit dizzy so he held onto the wall for support, putting a hand on her head. _Maybe I'm sick._ After her head cleared, she recollected herself and continued her way on, only to be countered by Karin.

"What do you want now, Karin?" she hissed, not in the mood for fighting with her.

"Oh, nothing." Her voice was unusually sweet. "Just wanted to know, can you get something for me in the janitor's closet? Kakashi-sensei wanted me to get extra textbooks, but I can't reach it."

Sakura skeptically eyed her. "U-Um, sure."

Karin led the way to the closet and pointed to a shelf that was inside it. Sakura warily went inside, checking back to see if Karin would close the door, when she got the textbooks, Karin was still standing there. But all of sudden, the light went off and it was pitch black. Karin had locked her in there. _But I kept on glancing at her if she would close the door! Damn it!_ She shoved the textbook back on the shelf angrily. _How could I have been so stupid?! I shouldn't have trusted that idiot. _

Then Sakura remembered where she was, a dark closet._ Damn it._ She had some bad experiences with the dark. Her breathing got quicker and she started to panic. She had a similar past to this and it was not one she liked to remember. She banged on the door, screaming for anyone to open the door. After 5 minutes of pointless banging and yelling, a single tear slipped down her face. She hadn't cried since that day because she hated crying, it made her feel weak.

She slumped down the wall opposite the door and buried her face in her knees, a silent sob racking her body. All Sakura wanted was to get out of this, this _horrible_ place. _Anywhere but here,_ she thought.

In the lunchroom, Sasuke was starting to wonder where Sakura was, she had been gone for about 10 minutes and the bathroom was right down the hall. After waiting another minute, he abruptly stood up and left the lunchroom, leaving his friends in wonder why he suddenly decided to leave.

He bumped into Karin on the way and she said, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, Sasuke-kun!" in a high, shrilly voice that made Sasuke inwardly cringe.

But on the outside, he just rudely brushed past her, continuing his search for Sakura. He passed by the janitor's closet and he heard a small noise. Once he focused on it, he noticed that it sounded like someone crying. He opened the door that could only be locked from the outside and turned on the light, seeing Sakura curled into a small ball, crying.

He instantly rushed to her side and shook her. "Hey! Sakura! It's me, Sasuke."

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke and whimpered out a small, "S-Sasuke," then leaped into his arms, hugging him tightly. Sasuke hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, one stroking her hair gently, the other around her waist. His mother used to do this to him when he was younger.

She continued to sob and repeat "thank you" over and over again. After a while, she pulled back abruptly and said, "I-I'm sorry, you must think I am so...weak."

Sasuke just shook his head and said, "Why are you in here?"

"Karin," Sakura simply said, knowing that Sasuke would understand.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he glared at the wall, having nothing else to glare at, until he realized that Sakura was still in his arms. He stood up, helping Sakura up with him. Once she was on both of her feet, he let go of her and wiped her tears off with his hand. "Are you okay now?"

She nodded. "Can we get out of here? I hate the dark because...it reminds me of some things I want to forget," she said.

Ignoring the temptation to ask what it was, he left it for now and nodded in response. He took Sakura's hand and led her out of the closet. They didn't go back to the lunchroom because Sakura knew all of her friends would ask what happened and she didn't feel like answering them, so they both went to the roof of the school. They still had about 15 minutes left of lunch. Sasuke and Sakura sat down side by side, Sakura leaning on Sasuke a bit.

"Do you mind telling me why you hate the dark, Sakura?" Sasuke said.

Sakura looked away and took a deep breath, she was inwardly debating with herself whether to tell him or not. She decided to tell him since maybe that could help her get over it somehow. She nodded and said, "Promise not to tell anyone?"

Sasuke nodded and Sakura began her story. "Well, since my parents own Haruno Industries and I am the heiress, many people try to either get close to me because of my money or people come after me. So when I was 11, these 3 men...came in the middle of the night into my room. It was pitch black and I was sleeping. I woke up to my hands and feet being tied and dragged out of my bed. I desperately tried to get out of the ties, but it was hopeless. They locked me in a closet so they could go kill the rest my family first, but they didn't succeed," she paused, her eyes flickering down to the ground. "Well, they managed to kill my brother, right in front of me, but they couldn't get to the rest of my family. Whenever I am in the dark, I always think of my brother and his blood all over me and the floor that day. I loved him dearly. We were so close. I hate the dark and being in confined places because of that."

Sasuke felt sorry for her, but he could relate to her, however. Allowing a short silence before he spoke, he said, "I know how you feel."

Sakura looked at his face, confused.

"My brother killed my parents in front of me as well, when I was 10. I never knew why. I don't even know where my brother is now. When we were children, we were really close, but one day he just…" he trailed off, hoping that Sakura would understand that he didn't really know what happened himself.

Sakura looked at him with sadness evident in her eyes, she hugged him and said, "I'm so sorry, Sasuke."

He hugged her back, burying his face in the crook of her neck. It felt nice and warm, and he felt relaxed for once. They released each other and sat in silence until the heard the bell ring. When they stood up, Sakura said, "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"Only if you won't tell anyone either," Sasuke said.

She nodded and they walked hastily to the lunchroom to get their things and then rushed to AP Biology. Sakura stuck to Sasuke, avoiding Karin's gaze.

When they walked in, Karin gaped at her, wondering how she got out. She stormed up to Sakura and was about to say something when Sasuke cut her off before she could even utter out a word. "Leave her alone, Karin. I'm serious or else."

Karin just walked back to her seat in defeat. Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand and led her to their seats, which were those lab desks, which they sat next to each other in.

Sasuke and Sakura sat in silence until the bell rang, signaling that they could go to their next classes. Sasuke got up quickly and pulled Sakura out of the classroom. They walked to AP Chemistry together and since you could sit wherever you want in this class, Sakura sat next to Sasuke.

They were going to do a lab today and Asuma said that you could pick your partners, so obviously Sasuke and Sakura were together. Neji and Tenten were partners, Hinata and Shino were working together, Shikamaru and Temari (after much arguing) agreed to work together since there was no one else they liked, Gaara was stuck with Karin.

Working with Sasuke made Sakura feel a bit better, at least she wasn't stuck with Karin. Poor Gaara, Sakura thought.

The period went by and when Temari was walking Sakura to World History, Sakura apologized for worrying her and said that she felt sick so she stayed in the bathroom a little longer, just to make sure, but she was fine now.

Temari looked unconvinced but agreed to it anyway. When the rest of her friends asked her what happened in Gym, she told them the same story. Before they could question her, their teacher, Gai, told them to run 5 laps around the football field. Many people groaned, while Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Tenten, Naruto and Temari started running in the lead. Sasuke was happy that his fangirls can't run very fast, otherwise he would have been harassed already. Sakura was trying to get away from her fanboys, but luckily she could run pretty fast so she had no problem. Naruto was just really hyper, so he was running just as fast as them.

They all ran, finishing at around the same time. The rest of the people came after them. Karin was one of the last. Sakura just stayed beside Sasuke the whole gym, while Sasuke was glaring at Karin, fangirls and fanboys all at the same time.

Then, Gai-sensei announced that they would be starting volleyball today. Sakura inwardly cheered. You get to pick your own team of 4 people, 2 having to be boys and 2 having to be girls, so Sakura's team consisted of her, Temari, Sasuke and Shikamaru. Neji, Naruto, Tenten, Hinata were all in another group together. Ino, Kiba, Gaara and a girl named Sora were in another.

Gai-sensei randomly assigned groups to verse another group, and Sakura's group just _had_ to verse Karin's group, which consisted of her, another fangirl and 2 fanboys that Sakura didn't recognize.

Sasuke started with the ball, serving it perfectly. Karin, with much difficulty managed to return the ball. Temari set it to Sakura, who jumped up and smashed it on the other side, leaving everyone watching and on Karin's team in awe.

Sakura smirked and high-fived Temari.

The game flew by, with Sakura's team totally obliterating Karin's team. Sakura had a lot of fun playing, especially since Karin got hit with the ball 3 times in the face, courtesy of her and Temari. She was starting to feel better about what happened earlier that day.

* * *

When Gym was over, Sakura quickly changed, wanting to avoid Karin's wrath and rushed out of the locker room. She quickly got all her materials that she needed for homework, which they had a lot of. As if there was some sort of agreement, all the teachers agreed to give a whole week's worth of homework for each class today.

Sakura groaned, remembering all the homework she had. Just as she closed her locker, Karin came up to her. Sakura was unsure of what to do and just as Karin was about to speak with Sakura, Sakura got whisked away by Sasuke, leaving Karin to glare at their hands which were connected.

Sakura and Sasuke then went to Archery Club (Sasuke only came a couple of times, he wasn't as dedicated as Sakura) and stayed there for an hour. They went to their dorm room and with an unspoken agreement decided to do their homework together. Naruto joined them after chowing down 6 bowls of instant ramen.

They finished right before dinner time and during dinner, Karin didn't irritate Sakura at all, surprisingly. When Sakura came back from dinner, she decided to write in her journal. She wrote all about Karin and what happened today, even about the moments Sasuke and she shared.

When she was writing her last sentence, someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" Sakura yelled.

Sasuke peeked his head in through the door first, then fully came in and sat next to Sakura on her bed. "So do you still feel sick now?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows in confusion, "I never felt that sick today."

"Well, Naruto asked me if you knew why you were sick, so I thought I'd find out, since I never knew you were," Sasuke said.

Sakura was still lost but then remembered that that was the lie she told her friends. She felt guilty, but she didn't want them to hunt down Karin and pummel her. Even though Karin deserved it. "Oh, hehe, that was what I told everyone else for a cover up story for lunch. I guess Hinata might have told Naruto. Sorry for worrying you."

Sasuke smirked. "I figured that, but I wanted to make sure."

Sakura blushed and looked away. "Well, thanks."

Sasuke just smirked and leaned close to her, "So are you sure you don't feel sick?"

Sakura nervously nodded, blushing even more because of their proximity. This made Sasuke smirk.

When he pulled back, Sakura took a deep breath, trying to stop her blush.

When Sakura had calmed herself down, she asked Sasuke, "When do you think Karin and her stupid friends will stop annoying me?"

Sasuke shrugged, sitting down next to her on her bed. "I hope it's soon." He really felt guilty because they were irritating her just because she was friends with him.

"Yeah," he leaned on Sasuke a bit, "but I have you to protect me," she teased.

Sasuke was surprised by this statement, but nonetheless wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "Yeah," he said, agreeing.

After a while, Sasuke got up, said "goodnight" to Sakura and went back to his room.

He is not that much of a jerk anymore. Sakura thought to herself. She smiled at the thought of actually somewhat melting the human ice cube and went to sleep.

* * *

"Ahhhhh!" Sakura screamed, waking up from her nightmare. It was the nightmare she hadn't gotten for over a year. The nightmare of her brother dying, right in front of her. That same feeling of being helpless washed over her.

That's why she wanted to become a doctor, so she could help people who were dying, so she wouldn't have to feel the pain that she did when she saw her brother being murdered in front of her.

Sasuke burst into the room, thinking that one of his fangirls had attacked Sakura in the middle of the night. But all he saw was Sakura curled into a little ball, breathing heavily and visible panic all over her face. Sasuke sighed, happy none of his stupid fangirls did anything and walked over to her. It looked like she still hadn't noticed that Sasuke was in the room because when he put a hand on her shoulder, she jerked violently and cowered away from Sasuke.

"Hey, it's only me. Calm down," Sasuke reassured.

Sakura calmed down a bit and looked into Sasuke's eyes. "It's the same nightmare. Reliving that day."

Sasuke understood and opened his arms a little. Understanding the message, she crawled over to him and let him hug her tightly. He whispered reassuring things into her ear and after a while, she was stable.

"I'm sorry, I cause you so much trouble," Sakura said, her voice somewhat muffled by his shirt.

"No, that's not true. I came here by choice. I'm just...glad you're alright," he answered.

Sakura, instead of answering, buried her head into his shirt more, which smelled like him. _Safe_. She quickly fell asleep in his arms, and once Sasuke noticed that, he tucked her in her bed again. Sasuke decided to sit against the end of her bed on the ground, in case something happened again. Sakura slept blissfully the rest of the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Surprised? Hehe. Thank you to all that reviewed! It meant so much to me and I was squealing and jumping around my room...hehe.

Please review!

Thanks again!

**~ booklover333**


	5. Chapter 5: Movie Night for Two

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

_Oh, and in the last chapter, when Sakura screamed, waking up from her nightmare, only Sasuke came into the room because he's a light sleeper and also I wanted to add a bit of SasuSaku. Naruto didn't come in, because nothing can wake him up, even a loud shriek, because he is, well...Naruto. hehe. Even though it might not seem like it, I actually really like and admire Naruto, even if I depict him as an idiot in my stories. :P _

_Okay, well, anyway, back to the story..._

* * *

Chapter 5:

Sakura's eyes opened when sunlight poured through her room.

When she sat up in her bed, she saw Sasuke in a sitting position at the foot of her bed, sleeping. His head was tilted slightly to the side.

Sakura remembered everything that happened yesterday and felt grateful towards Sasuke, that she had someone she could talk to those kind of heartfelt things about.

_He even stayed here the rest of the night. He can be such a gentleman at times. _She smiled at his face which was peaceful; his mouth hanging slightly open.

Sakura tried quietly getting up, so that she wouldn't disturb Sasuke, but as soon as her feet hit the hardwood floor, it creaked a little, waking Sasuke up.

He looked up at Sakura and stood up.

Sakura smiled at him. "Good morning," she paused and then said, "Thanks, Sasuke...for everything."

"No problem," Sasuke replied.

* * *

Days soon melted into weeks and soon they were starting the 4th month of school, December.

Sasuke and Sakura had gotten closer over the course of the months and had talked almost every day now. However, Sasuke didn't really open up with others as he was reserved most of the time.

It was a Friday of early December and even though it was Friday, the teachers still gave a lot of homework, to which the students complained to. When Sakura reached Home Education, one of her favorite classes (but then again she did love all of her classes, with the exception of the classes that Karin was in/decided to be an irritating fangirl), she learned they were making cookies today. They paired up, Naruto and Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura, Shikamaru and Temari, Neji and Tenten, and Lee and Kankuro.

Sasuke and Sakura had fun baking together, especially since Sasuke had gotten some flour in his hair, which made him look even more adorable and then Sakura having to wipe it off, all the while giggling at how cute and childish he looked while she was doing so.

At the end of the day, Sakura went to her dorm room with Sasuke and flopped on the couch. Naruto had gone out with Hinata for ramen, no surprise there. Hinata and Naruto had gotten closer over the months and liked each other, but they didn't want to tell the other because of fear of rejection and ruining their friendship. Sakura, who had figured out the two's affection for each other, hoped that they would get together soon.

Sasuke settled in one the armchairs that were in their living room.

There was awkward silence until Sakura decided to speak up. "So…what do you want to do?"

Sasuke shrugged.

Sakura's eyes drifted to the ceiling, thinking of what they could do for fun. "Want to watch a movie?" Sakura suggested after a while.

"Sure," Sasuke concurred.

"Can we watch a horror movie? I love scary movies!" Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Really? I thought since you were a girl, you would hate horror movies and would rather watch a romance movie."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not true for all females, Sasuke." The both of them went to Sakura's room and laid on her bed after getting Sakura's laptop. They found a horror movie called "It's Coming After You." **(A/N: I don't know if this is a real movie or not, but if it is, I AM NOT PLAGIARIZING. I made up this name when it was like literally 2:30 A.M., so I'm sorry; I KNOW IT'S A TERRIBLE NAME, BUT WHATEVER!) **

They made popcorn in their floor kitchen and bought drinks from the school cafe, going back to their dorm room when they were done.

After a couple of hours, when it was done, they talked about their favorite parts. Then, they laid sprawled on Sakura's bed. Naruto was still not back, as he was probably inhaling more ramen, so it was quiet.

"I'm bored!" Sakura exclaimed in the middle of the silence.

"No, duh," Sasuke answered with a sigh.

"How about we do our homework, so we don't have to do worry about it over the weekend?" Sakura proposed.

Sasuke agreed, nodding once. "But we are going in my room; I've been in this girly room too long for my liking."

"Um, excuse me," Sakura said, her tone a bit sassy. "There's almost no pink in here and I hate glitter and all that crap too, so I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's go," he said.

Sakura gave up. "Fine, fine." She grabbed her backpack and together, they headed to Sasuke's room.

For the next hour, sprawled on top of Sasuke's bed this time, the two worked diligently, occasionally speaking with one another. They had a French test and AP Biology test coming up so they studied with each other.

Afterwards, they didn't really feel hungry, instead deciding to grab a couple of snacks from one of the school's cafes. They ate at one of the many tables, seeing other students there too.

Plopping back on Sasuke's bed, Sakura suggested they play a game. "How about I ask you a question? Then you ask me a question and it goes on and on."

"Isn't that just game called 20 questions?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I think, but I'm not sure."

"You can go first."

"Okay...hmmm…what's your favorite color?" Sakura asked.

"Navy blue and black," came his reply. "Do you...like to play any sports?"

"Yes, volleyball and tennis," Sakura said. "Um, do you play any instruments?"

"The guitar and piano," Sasuke replied. He asked her the same question she asked him.

"The piano and a little bit of the cello. Oh, and I sing, but not very well," she paused, thinking of a question for him. "What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Read, write, play guitar, listen to music or watch TV. And, What do you write about?" he inquired.

"Whatever I think of," she giggled when he gave an annoyed look. "I remember the time I asked you that before, but you just glared at me. So, now that I actually got you to talk, what do you write about?"

"Whatever I think of," he mimicked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "The reason I said that to you is because I don't like showing my writing to anyone." _I never showed anyone, except for my brother. _

"I didn't either. It was something I wanted to keep to myself," he said. There was silence until Sasuke asked another question. "Do you like to watch TV?"

"Not really, but I do once in a while. I like movies, but obviously, the original

books are better than the movies." She then had a question in mind, but she was unsure of whether to ask him or not and hesitated. "Um, well...d-do…" she stopped, not quite sure what to say next.

"Yeah?" Sasuke said.

Color rose to Sakura's cheeks. "D-Do you like hanging out with me? Or are you just doing this because you have nothing else to do?" Refusing to meet his eyes, she picked at the blankets she was sitting on.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked.

"I-I don't know; that's why I am asking you," Sakura said, avoiding his gaze.

Sasuke lifted his hand and put it under her chin gently, making her eyes move back to him. "I do."

Sakura blushed furiously and stared in his eyes, entranced by the pools of ebony.

Just then, the door burst open, courtesy of Naruto. "YO TEME! I had _so_ much ramen-" he stopped, only then noticing that Sakura was in the room too and what position her and Sasuke were in.

Sasuke and Sakura sprang away from each other and the blonde just stared at them, not sure what was going on. He was clearly puzzled. "Um, okaaay...Anyway, Hinata-chan and I had SO MUCH RAMEN!"

Sakura sighed in annoyance. _Sasuke and I were having a peaceful, fun night but then this idiot decided to ruin it!_

He blabbered a bit more about their outing and then, to both Sakura and Sasuke's relief, he yawned and said, "Well, I am so tired and full, so I'm going to sleep! Bye!" Naruto said, waving his hand while walking out the door.

Once the door was closed, Sakura sighed and shook her head at where the blonde was standing only 30 seconds before. "He's such an idiot at times."

Sasuke nodded in agreement and Sakura laughed. "Soooo, I'm still bored and not really tired, so what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said, laying down on his pillow and looking at the ceiling.

Sakura laid down next to him. "You are so helpful," she said, her voice full of sarcasm.

As her head touched with the pillow, she felt dreary and wanted to sleep, even though she had just stated that she wasn't tired. Maybe it was Sasuke's safe smell that made her want to sleep, or the way that the pillow was so warm and comfy and welcomed her. Whatever it was, she was all of a sudden tired, so she rolled on her side and snuggled next to Sasuke, falling asleep.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, but then slowly wrapped an arm around her waist, making her bury her face in the crook of his neck even more. Sasuke covered them both with the sheets and he, too fell asleep.

* * *

Sakura woke up to see someone's shirt in her face. She tried getting up, but the arm around her waist restrained her from doing so. She then realized it was Sasuke. Looking up at him, she saw his calm face. His peaceful expression contradicted with the world around them, filled with problems. And right then, she couldn't help but notice the warmth and the comfort of his blankets and him himself.

She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him, making him unconsciously tighten his grip on her. She smiled into his shirt.

She felt safe being next to Sasuke. It was nice. Sakura hadn't felt this feeling in years and it was great to have it back. Ignoring the voice in her head telling her how stupid and wrong this was, how she shouldn't be _sleeping next to a guy_, even if he and her were friends, she made herself comfortable.

Moments later, she heard Sasuke stir and eventually wake up.

Sasuke's eyes opened directly to see Sakura's face, and he smirked. Then, he noticed their position. Her head was buried near his neck, his arms were wrapped around her in a protective manner and their legs were tangled with each other.

He smirked, tentatively raising a hand and caressing her cheek.

Since Sakura was awake, she could feel it, so she decided to scare him. As soon as his hand touched her face, she screamed "BOO!" opening her eyes.

Sasuke remained unfazed, which made Sakura frown, which was then replaced by a look of shame and embarrassment. "Guess we fell asleep, huh?"

"Hn," Sasuke said.

An awkward silence came afterwards. "Um, Sasuke? Could you like...um...let go of me now?" Sakura said, referring to Sasuke's arms, which were still tightly wrapped around her waist.

"I want to sleep more," his mumble came and he snuggled even closer, if it was possible.

"S-Sasuke. We should get up," Sakura said timidly.

"What time is it?" Sasuke mumbled, his voice barely audible.

Sakura looked at the clock hanging on the other side of the room, _6:03_. "6:03." she replied.

"Then why do you want to get up now?" Sasuke asked.

"U-um, I-I don't k-know," Sakura said. The truth was that she really wanted to stay with him, but it was kind of awkward.

"Sasuke," Sakura said, trying to get him to let go of her.

"What?" his voice displayed irritation.

"Can you let go?" she repeated.

Sasuke just tightened his grip on her even more and buried his face in the crook of her neck, making her gasp softly from the sudden contact. "Why? You don't like staying here with me? I'm hurt, Sakura."

"I-I d-d-do, b-but I think that w-we should get up n-now," she stuttered, her cheeks reddening.

"It's a Saturday morning, Sakura. You shouldn't really be up this early," Sasuke mumbled.

"Well, y-yea but-" she was cut off by Sasuke's hand covering her mouth.

"Just stay quiet and sleep," Sasuke said.

Sakura knew that he was not going to budge, so she decided to give up. "Ugh, fine," she said, once he removed his hand from her mouth.

She snuggled closer, closing the small gaps that were left in between them. Sasuke sighed, content and quickly fell asleep, knowing that the pink-haired female in his arms was safe and finally quiet.

* * *

A while later, they finally woke up, got ready and had breakfast. Sakura went to Hinata's room to get her to go to Archery Club. Since Archery Club conflicted with Art Club, they only went to Art Club on Mondays and Sundays, but not Wednesdays.

Sakura was the one of the best shooters in Archery. Tenten and Neji were there too and they were just as good, especially Tenten, she was a natural. With her love of weapons, that was only expected.

After grabbing lunch, Hinata and Sakura went back to their dorm rooms. It turned out that Hinata and Naruto are going to watch a movie at the theater campus together right now. Sakura was happy for them, and she hoped that one would confess to the other already.

Even though they were almost polar opposites, a shy, quiet, and smart girl and a very loud, rambunctious and not the brightest boy, they still seemed like the perfect couple. It was the sweetest and most innocent love.

When Sakura got to her dorm room, Naruto was getting ready and soon he left. Sasuke was laying on the couch, writing something. Sakura hopped over to him and bent down, "Whatcha writing?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said, covering his work.

Sakura pouted but didn't bother him anymore, she knew how he felt, as she didn't like showing her writing to anyone either. "Can I see it one day?"

"Maybe," he simply said.

"Meh," Sakura said, sitting on the floor that was right near the couch Sasuke was laying on. "So...what do you want to do?"

"Don't know," Sasuke replied.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I always come up with something. You tell me something what we can do."

"No."

She elbowed him and then got an idea. "Hey, do you want to play tennis with Neji and Tenten?"

"No."

"Please?" Sakura begged.

"No."

"Please?" she implored.

"No."

"Why?" she asked, frustrated.

"No."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" she screamed. "Please?"

"No."

"For me?" she asked.

"...Whatever."

"YAYY!" Sakura exclaimed. "Okay, come on, let's go to their room." And with that, she hopped up and ran to the door.

Sasuke reluctantly followed. Once they got there, Tenten agreed right away and had to force Neji to come as well. They all walked to the school tennis courts and borrowed some tennis equipment.

"Let's play doubles," Sakura suggested.

"So who is who's partner?" Tenten asked.

"Um...do you want to do girls versus boys or a pair of a boy and a girl versus another pair?"

Tenten shrugged and looked over at Neji who said he didn't care. Sakura looked at Sasuke who had the same response as Neji.

"Why are guys so useless?!" Sakura screamed.

Sasuke smirked at her behaviour. Seeing this, she decided to make him a bit jealous. She whispered something in Tenten's ear, who immediately agreed.

Sakura then whipped around and walked to Neji and pulled on his arm. "Come on, Neji-_kun_, you and I will be partners."

Sasuke glared at Neji, while Neji just looked confused, letting the girl drag him easily. But when Tenten did the same thing to Sasuke, he glared at Sasuke.

The tournament went on with the boys still glaring at each other. It ended with a tie, since they were all naturals. Afterwards, Tenten and Sakura whispered amongst themselves, "That was fun, seeing them get all jealous," Sakura stated.

Tenten nodded in agreement, then went back to her dorm room with Neji.

Sakura and Sasuke reached inside their dorm room and Sakura was about to ask Sasuke something when the door flung open and Sakura got tackled by Tenten.

"What the hell, Tenten?!" Sakura said, looking up at Tenten who was currently on top of her.

She was smiling widely. "I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING MAJOR!" Tenten screamed.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke who just looked amused, pushed Tenten off of her and dragged her into her room. "What?"

She grinned again. "Neji asked me out!"

Sakura suddenly forgot all about her anger towards Tenten and hugged her. "OH MY GOSH! That's great! When? Where? Tell me everything!"

"Well," Tenten said, plopping down on Sakura's bed, "when we were walking to our dorm room from the tennis courts, Neji still looked jealous. So I asked him why and instead of answering me, he asked me out! Then, I screamed 'yes' and hugged him, and now I am here," Tenten replied.

"Awww," Sakura cooed, sitting down next to her. "Our plan totally made him do that." Then she paused, realizing something. "Wait, you just left Neji where he was and ran here?"

Tenten bit her lip, a sheepish look adorning her face. "Hehe, kind of...?"

Sakura smacked her forehead and muttered. "Baka," under her breath. She turned to Tenten and put her hands on her clueless friend's shoulders, "What is wrong with you?!" she scolded, shaking the confused girl. "You can't just run off like that after he asks you out! Now go back and apologize!"

Tenten said. "Oh, right. Okay. Well thanks, Sakura. Bye!" and with that, she sprinted out of the room, almost knocking over Naruto who had just back from the movies.

"What's with her?" Naruto asked, not sure of what was going on.

"Girl issues," Sakura giggled.

Naruto just looked confused but then said, "Hinata-chan and I just had the most awesomest time ever at the movies! Oh, and guess what?" he paused dramatically, "WE ALSO HAD RAMEN!"

Sakura laughed at his childish antics and said, "Good for you, Naruto."

She left Naruto fantasizing about the different kinds of ramen and laid back on her bed, thinking of what to do. She then decided to take a shower, since she was all sweaty from playing tennis. After a while, when she was done, she wrote in her notebook, continuing her story, sitting on the couch in the living room.

She, however, didn't notice Sasuke come up behind her and look over her shoulder. "Can I read it?"

Sakura jumped and covered her book, "NO!"

"Well, I might let you see mine, then," Sasuke smirked, as he sat on the arm of the couch.

"Fine, then show me yours first," Sakura said.

"No, let me see yours first," Sasuke retorted.

Sakura knew better though. "No, because you are not going to show me yours afterwards."

Sasuke smirked. "You know me too well."

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him in a childish manner which just made Sasuke flick her nose. She wrinkled her nose at him which, in response, made Sasuke smirk.

"You smirk too much," Sakura observed.

"You talk too much," Sasuke countered.

"I do not! You just don't talk as much as me!" Sakura shot back.

Sasuke smirked and she rolled her eyes at him. Silence enveloped them both.

"So…What do you want to do now?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know."

"That's always your answer!" Sakura replied, frustrated. "Can't you say anything else?"

"Come on," Sasuke said, getting up.

Sakura was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Let's go," Sasuke simply stated.

"To where?"

"Do you trust me?" Sasuke asked.

"I do," Sakura replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Then come on," Sasuke said, gently holding her hand and pulling her up.

Sakura complied and she followed Sasuke.

"Close your eyes," he said, once they were outside. Sakura raised her eyebrows, but nonetheless closed her eyes. Sasuke took her hand and carefully led her somewhere. "Open them," Sasuke said, once he stopped.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times so her eyes could get adjusted to the light. Once her vision was focused, she noticed where they were. They were off campus, in a grassy field with a soft breeze in the air. The sun was setting and the sky looked like it had been splattered with different colors. Red, blue, pink, orange and even some purple were displayed there.

Sakura took a deep breath and said, "It's beautiful," directed to Sasuke, her gaze, not breaking away from the glorious view. "How did you find this place?"

"I was roaming around and I found it. I haven't shown anyone it, so don't tell anyone," Sasuke replied, looking at Sakura.

Sakura's gaze fell on Sasuke and they locked eyes with each other. "Thank you...for showing me this."

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

They sat down on the grass, side by side, looking at the gorgeous view. "Sasuke," Sakura said, leaning her head on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Hm?" Sasuke said, slipping an arm around Sakura's waist.

"Why haven't you shown anyone this place? I mean, it's gorgeous," Sakura said curiously.

He shrugged. "I guess I wanted to have somewhere to be alone."

Sakura nodded, understanding what he meant. "Yeah, I have a place like that back home."

They stayed silent for a while, until it was getting dark and they decided to go back to the campus.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Hi! For all the people who have reviewed, it means so much! Thanks a lot! I will be sure to update this story soon. _

_Oh, and there are a lot of...surprises in the next chapter...I guess that's what you can call them. Hehe..._

_Anyway, REVIEW! PLEASE? Byeee. _

**~ booklover333**


	6. Chapter 6: Truth or Dare?

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

_Hey guys! I just wanted to clarify something if you haven't already noticed. Everyone in this story (the main characters, I mean) are in the same grade - 10th. I didn't want Tenten, Neji and Lee to be a year older because then they wouldn't really have classes with everyone else. Also, if I went by age, Temari would be in like college when everyone else would only be in 10th - which would cause problems. Soooo...to avoid all the confusion, I decided to make everyone the same and in the same grade. Sorry I didn't say that before, but then I thought some people might not have noticed and might be confused, so I wanted to clear that up. _

_Okay...now that that's over. ON WITH THE FANFICTION! _

* * *

**Chapter 6**:

When Sakura and Sasuke had returned from their "mini vacation," they went straight to the dining hall as it was dinner time.

During dinner, Tenten was bombarded with questions about Neji and herself by Ino and Temari. Hinata just stammered a happy "congratulations" and didn't ask any questions, not wanting to make her friend feel uncomfortable. Tenten had told them everything that happened.

Afterwards, Ino, Sakura, Tenten, Temari and Hinata settled on the decision to have a sleepover at Sakura's dorm room. They used the living room as their place to sleep and told Sasuke and Naruto strictly to get out, which they unwillingly did, staying with Shino and Kiba that night.

After all the girls had laid out their sleeping bags and changed into comfy pajamas, Sakura, Hinata and Temari all went to the kitchen to make popcorn, while Tenten and Ino went to cafeteria - getting candy and soda for everyone. Once they met up, they went back upstairs and watched a movie while eating the items they had just gotten.

Then, Ino and Hinata, mostly Ino, tried to get them all to have makeovers but Sakura and Temari glared at her while Tenten said menacingly, "Hell, no.'

Ino pouted, landing on her sleeping bag in a huff. "Fine," she muttered.

"What do you want to do now?" Tenten asked, as she laid down on her back on top of her sleeping bag. She was obviously bored, and she proved this further as she threw a small pillow in the air, catching it.

Everyone's sleeping bags were situated in a circle in the living room, as they all had created a large space in the living room by moving all the furniture to the side.

Sakura puffed her cheeks, thinking and then flopped down on her stomach. "Do you want to play truth or dare?" she proposed.

"So typical and girly..." Temari said sighing, "but fine."

Tenten and Ino enthusiastically said, "Sure."

Hinata giggled at how bipolar her group of friends were and then replied with a small, "Okay."

"Okay, who wants to go first?" Sakura asked.

"I'll go!" Tenten said, raising her hand as if she was in class. "Hmmmm…" She scanned all of them, deciding who would be her next_ victim_. "Ino!" she pronounced.

Ino bit her lip in apprehension.

"Truth or dare?" Tenten questioned.

Ino exhaled softly. "I know I am going to be sorry for this, but...dare," she said, fear mingling in with her voice.

Tenten smirked and then motioned for all the other girls to come closer. Once they did, Tenten whispered her "genius" idea to all of them. They laughed and vigorously nodded their heads in agreement, going back to their spots all the while still giggling.

Ino bit her lip harder, a anxious look plastering itself on her face. She leaned forward a bit in anticipation for her"doom."

"Okay, Ino. You have to…" Tenten paused for dramatic effect. "Run down the hallways and scream that you like Kiba!"

Ino's face didn't change for a moment, but once she realized what the dare was, her face scrunched up into a lock of mortification. Her cheeks colored involuntarily. "B-But, it isn't true!" she defended.

Temari shrugged. "So?"

"_So_, I don't want him to think I'm some weirdo," Ino shot back. She was afraid that he would hear. _Oh, God_, she thought, _that would be terrible!_

"Why would you care what he thinks?" Tenten teased.

_Damn it. _"W-Well, he's a good f-friend of mine," Ino stuttered, avoiding their gazes.

Sakura scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Hinata then spoke up. "I-If you don't want to do it, I-Ino-chan, you don't have to," Hinata offered.

Ino sighed in relief. _THANK YOU, HINATA. _"Thank you, Hinata-chan! You're the only sane person here!" Ino stated.

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Just do the damn dare; otherwise you'll have to do something else instead. Something _worse_." Her laugh had a sadistic tinge to it which frightened Ino.

Hesitantly standing up, Ino opened the door. She turned back with an unreadable expression. "I hate you for this," she said, directed to Tenten.

Tenten just smiled cheekily in response, sticking her tongue out at the blonde.

Ino took a deep breath and then ran down the hallway, flinging her arms. "I LOVE KIBA! SO MUCH! HE IS THE BEST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET AND I LOVE HIM!"

When she returned to Sakura's dorm again, the girls were laughing hysterically. Ino just rolled her eyes and when they were about to go inside again, Kiba's door opened and he said, "W-Was that you, Ino?" He was blushing furiously.

"K-Kiba-kun!" Ino stuttered. _Oh, damn it! He heard that?! s_he thought. "U-Um, yeah. B-But it was a dare! I-I didn't mean it..."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, o-of course," Kiba said, with a hint of disappointment. Not looking at anyone else, he retreated back into his dorm room.

Ino stared at where he was standing just a few moments ago and then turned around, glaring at her friends. "I HATE ALL OF YOU! Well, except for Hinata-chan, BUT THE REST OF YOU!"

Between laughs Tenten said, "Ino, the dare was to say that like Kiba not _love_."

Ino's eyes widened and she blushed even harder, stomping back in the room while letting out a scream of frustration. The rest of the girls were still laughing, but when they finally calmed down, Ino chose who to ask the question next to. "Sakura. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she said confidently.

But then, Ino smiled, but it was one of those "revenge" smiles and Sakura's confidence withered away as quickly as it. "You have to…" she paused, thinking. Once she got an idea, her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "You have to ask Sasuke if you can have his boxers!"

Sakura gaped. _Where the hell did she come up with _that_?! _"W-What?! The hell?! NO!" Sakura exclaimed.

"You picked dare, so you have to do it!" Ino yelled happily now that she was getting vengeance from before.

"Why can't it be something else?! Why his damn_ boxers_?!" Sakura yelled.

Ino shrugged. "I don't know - it was the first thing I came up with!" Ino screamed back. She turned to Temari and Tenten and asked, "Are you all fine with it?" They didn't answer as they were laughing again. Hinata was blushing furiously. "Guess that's a yes," Ino muttered.

"Wait!" Sakura uttered as she realized something. "I have to _touch _them?!"

_Well, I wasn't thinking that. The dare I was thinking of was to just ask Sasuke. But eh, why not.._.Ino nodded. "Yup!"

Sakura growled, stood up, going over to the door. She took a deep breath. _Get ready to make a complete fool of yourself, Sakura, _she thought to herself while walking to Kiba's door, knocking on it. The rest of the girls clambered to the door, peeking their heads out and watching carefully, wondering if she would actually do it or not.

Kiba pulled open the door, seeing Sakura there. "Oh, hey, Sakura. Need anything?" he asked, slightly confused as to what she would want.

"U-Um, yes," she paused. _I'm so gonna freaking kill Ino_. "Is S-Sasuke is here?"

"Uh, yeah. Come on in," Kiba said. Sakura followed Kiba into his dorm room to see Naruto, Shino and Sasuke spread out on the couch, watching TV.

"H-Hey," Sakura said timidly to Sasuke, ignoring Naruto's cry of "Sakura-chan!"

"Hey. You need something?" Sasuke asked, wondering why Sakura was there.

"U-Uh yeah, do...do you have any spare b-boxers that I can ha-have?" she managed to say. Her cheeks were getting dangerously rosy. The other boys raised their eyebrows, giving her a "what-the-hell" look, mentally asking her if she was nuts. Even Naruto was too shocked to say anything.

Outside of the door, the girls were laughing hysterically once more after seeing the guys' expressions.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "What?" He stood up and walked over to her.

"Don't make me say it again," Sakura murmured.

"Um...Why?" Sasuke inquired.

"J-Just wanted some of your b-boxers," she finished lamely, opting to look at the wall on the left of him_._

"Uh...sure?" he said.

Sakura looked at him. "W-What?! You're actually saying _yes_?! What the hell?! You say no for playing _tennis_, but not for _this_?! What's wrong with you?!"

Sasuke squinted his eyes, even more so confused now. "Isn't a 'yes' what you wanted? Otherwise why would you ask?"

She stopped ranting and fell silent. _Stupid! I have to actually _get_ one of his boxers. I'm such an idiot._ "U-Uh, yeah. S-Sorry," she said quietly, forgetting that she hadn't completed the dare yet.

They stood there, until Sasuke said, "Um...so do you want them or not?"

"Uh...yeah," Sakura said.

Temari and the others quickly scrambled back to the living room when they saw the two coming. Swiftly sitting down on their sleeping bags, they tried to act natural as Sasuke and Sakura came into the room. Once the 4 of them saw him, they had trouble suppressing their laughter, even with tightly closed mouths.

Sasuke looked at the girls weirdly, but continued into his room, with Sakura behind him. They reached his room and he took out a pair of his boxers, blushing a little. "Um, here." He outstretched his hand and offered them to Sakura.

Sakura who was blushing furiously just stuttered out a "thanks." A silence enveloped them.

"Are you going to take them or not?" Sasuke said.

"Oh! Um...y-yeah." She hesitantly took them out of his hand and held the boxers at arm's length, holding them only with her index finger and thumb.

Sasuke crossed. "If I may ask, why do you need them?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura blushed because of his questioning look. "I-I told you before, j-just wanted a pair of your boxers,"" Sakura managed to say.

"Give me the real reason, Sakura," Sasuke said, knowing that she wouldn't just randomly want his boxers.

Sakura sighed. "Well...It was a friking dare, Sasuke! Why would I randomly want a pair of your _boxers_?! Do you think I'm mental?!" Sakura exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well, yes, actually, I do," Sasuke smirked.

The girls, who were spying on them again, snickered.

Sakura punched him on the arm and then turned around to them and showed them the boxers. "HAPPY?!"

They all nodded and dissolved into a fit of laughter again. Sakura rolled her eyes and tossed the boxers to Sasuke. "Here. I don't want them."

Sasuke, who looked a bit angry and embarrassed, stuffed them into his drawer and left the room.

Sakura glared at her friends. "I really hate all of you!"

They stuck their tongues out at her, except for Hinata of course, and ran into the living room, leaving Sakura to calm down.

* * *

**~ Sasuke ~ **

Sasuke saw Kiba walk into the living room, from answering the door, followed by Sakura.

"H-Hey," Sakura said timidly.

"Hey. You need something?" he asked, wondering why Sakura was there.

"U-Uh yeah, do...do you have any spare b-boxers that I can ha-have?" she said.

The others raised their eyebrows in disbelief of the question she had just asked, giving her a look, mentally asking her if she was nuts. _Why the hell would she want my boxers? _

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, standing up and walking over to her. "What?"

"Don't make me say it again," Sakura mumbled quietly.

Sasuke looked for any sign of a joke on her face. Finding none, he asked, "Why?"

"J-Just wanted some of your b-boxers," she explained.

_Is she turning into a fangirl? No, I don't think so._ "Uh...sure?" he said.

"W-What?! You're actually saying _yes_?! What the hell?! You say no for playing _tennis_, but not for _this_?! What's wrong with you?!"

Sasuke was confused at her outburst. "Isn't a 'yes' what you wanted? Otherwise why would you ask?"

"U-Uh, yeah. S-Sorry," she said quietly.

_Mood swings much? _Sasuke thought.

After some silence, Sasuke said, "Um...so do you want them or not?"

"Uh...yeah," Sakura said.

_Maybe if I give to her, she will tell me why she wants my boxers. _

Sasuke walked out of Kiba's room and into his own, seeing the other girls trying to stifle their laughing, but failing to do so. He gave them a weird look, but continued on into his room, with Sakura behind him. Once they reached his room, he took out a pair of his boxers, blushing a little. "Um, here." He outstretched his hand and offered them to Sakura.

Sakura who was blushing furiously just stuttered out a "thanks." A silence enveloped them. "Are you going to take them or not?" Sasuke said.

"Oh! Um...y-yeah." She hesitantly took them out of his hand and held the boxers at arm's length, holding them only with her index finger and thumb.

"If I may ask, why do you need them?" Sasuke asked, hoping to now get some answers.

"I-I told you before, j-just wanted a p-pair of your boxers." Sakura managed to say.

"Give me the real reason, Sakura," Sasuke said. _Sakura wouldn't just randomly want my boxers, right? _

"Well...It was a friking dare, Sasuke! Why would I randomly want a pair of your _boxers_?! Do you think I'm mental?!" Sakura exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well, yes, actually, I do," Sasuke smirked, to which he earned a punch from Sakura.

The girls, who were spying on them, snickered.

Sakura turned around to them and showed them the boxers. "HAPPY?!"

They all nodded and dissolved into a fit of laughter again. Sakura rolled her eyes and tossed the boxers to Sasuke, "Here. I don't want them."

Sasuke, who looked a bit angry and embarrassed, stuffed them into his drawer and swiftly left the room. _What the hell is wrong with girls? I will never understand their kind._

* * *

**~ Sakura ~**

After Sakura calmed down, she walked into the living room and sat down on her sleeping bag. "Well, that was interesting," Ino announced.

Sakura glared at her in response.

"I-I'm sorry that we made you uncomfortable, Sakura-chan," Hinata said meekly.

Some of Sakura's anger lessened by hearing Hinata's sweet voice. "Oh, it's fine, Hinata-chan. I'll get them back later," Sakura reassured. Turning to Tenten, she said, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Tenten said. "I can take anything."

Sakura smirked. "I'm glad you say that."

Tenten gulped.

"You have to wear a SKIRT!" Sakura yelled.

Tenten gasped dramatically and immediately shook her head roughly. "NO!"

"You have to!" Sakura said.

"You _did _pick dare, Tenten!" Temari stated.

Ino nodded, smirking. "It _is_ only fair."

"B-But you all know that I _hate_ skirts!" Tenten retorted.

"It's a dare! Just do it!" Sakura said.

Tenten groaned. "Fine!"

Sakura laughed maniacally and with Ino, they both ran to Ino's room, since she had many skirts. They quickly got the shortest and most girlish skirt they could find which was lavender with sparkles on it. Once they returned to Sakura's room, they showed it to Tenten.

She gaped at it. "What the-? Is this made for two year olds?! It's so tiny! And...And it's so glittery!" came Tenten's reply.

"Too bad!" Ino screamed.

"T-Tenten-chan, you don't have to if you don-" Hinata said, but she got cut off by Tenten.

"FINE! I'll wear it! But for how long?!"

Without a moment's pause, Temari, Sakura and Ino said in unison, "The rest of the game!"

Tenten's jaw dropped, but nonetheless, she yanked the skirt out of Sakura's hand and stomped into the bathroom. A while later, she came out, looking pissed. Her face and the fact that she - _Tenten_ \- was wearing a skirt made the girls go into a laughing fit again, while Tenten unladylike-ly dropped on her sleeping bag and crossed her arms.

Just then, a knock came at the door. A still chuckling Sakura opened the door to see Neji there. "Hey, Neji. What brings you here?" she said.

At the sound of hearing Neji's name, Tenten tried to run into the bathroom to change, not wanting Neji to see her in a skirt. He knew very well how she hated skirts. But Ino grabbed her by the waist before she could and pulled her back to her sleeping bag.

"I wanted to ask Tenten something," Neji's simple and monotonous reply came.

Sakura pursed her lips, trying to keep him from seeing her smile, at the thought of Neji seeing Tenten in a skirt and said, "Okay."

They went to the living room and Neji said, "I wanted to ask you if I could-" He then saw what she wearing. _Tenten_ was wearing a skirt. His eyebrows lifted slightly and he could feel a small blush coming to his face, but he quickly looked away and finished his sentence, "borrow your science notes."

"U-Uh sure, Neji. They're in my b-backpack," Tenten said uncomfortably.

"Okay, thanks." He quickly left the room without a second glance at any of the other girls.

"HAH! That was interesting! His timing couldn't be any better!" Temari said.

Tenten growled. "Oh, shut up." Then she took a deep breath and turned to Hinata, "Since you are actually nice, unlike _some_ people, I'll pick you to go next. Truth or dare?"

"T-Truth," Hinata said quickly. After seeing the others' torture, one would be insane to pick dare.

"Oh, come on Hinata-chan! Pick dare!" Ino chanted.

"She can pick whatever she wants to!" Tenten said, defending the only sane person in the room at the moment.

"Well, whatever. Please, Hinata-chan, pick dare?" Ino pleaded.

"Um..." she said timidly.

"Just let the girl pick truth!" Sakura proclaimed.

"Hmph! Fine" Ino gave up.

"Um…Do you like Naruto?" Tenten asked.

Hinata started going red. "T-Tenten-chan!"

"Answer the question, Hinata-chan," Temari teased.

Hinata's fingers fiddled with each other, twirling around each other faster than ever before. Her white orbs looked around frantically as if looking for an escape. Knowing there was none, she let out a small sigh. "Y-Yes."

"I knew it!" Sakura suddenly screamed, pointing her index finger at Hinata accusingly. This reaction made Hinata flush more.

_Oh, God. Please don't faint! Come on, Hinata! Deep breaths! _she tried to remind herself.

Tenten tapped her finger against her chin. "But why, Hina-chan? He's not exactly the smartest person. And he's _kinda_ hot, but you're not shallow like that."

"W-Well-" Hinata started.

"Yeah..." Temari said. "He's pretty loud, too."

"B-But h-he's-" Hinata was once cut off again.

"Tch, tell me about it," Sakura said, thinking of how he always disturbed the peace in their dorm room.

"And annoying..." Ino said.

"G-Guys!" Hinata suddenly said loudly, making everyone look at her. "T-That's not true! Yes, h-he can be loud at times, but...it's only because he's confident in himself. And i-it's not that he's not smart. He is. B-But, because of his sometimes foolish actions, h-he just gets dubbed as the 'not-smart one.' But I believe that if N-Naruto-kun puts his mind to it, he can do anything!"

Everyone stayed silent and then the girls cooed.

"Awwwwwww!" Ino said, her eyes wide and hands clasped together. "Hinata-chaaan~! That's so cuute!"

Temari squinted at Ino. "What she said, but not as...anime girly."

Ino glared at her.

Sakura smiled. "That's really sweet, Hinata-chan. Seeing what others are not able to in the person you love; that's true love."

"W-Well, I wouldn't call it _love_, but...yeah. I-I really do like him a lot."

Everyone smiled at her and then Hinata continued the game. "T-Temari-chan, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Hinata looked up to the ceiling, thinking of a dare.

_Hinata isn't going to give me a hard dare,_ Temari thought._ I mean she's Hinata! Thank you Kami for making her so kind! _

"Y-You have to confess to Shikamaru-san that you love him," she said, looking back at Temari.

"W-What?!" Temari blushed. "B-But I don't! I hate him!"

Ino laughed. "Well, I had to do something like that to, so HA!" Ino mocked.

Temari made a face at her and stood up. "Meh. Fine."

She went to Shikamaru's room with the other girls trailing close behind and knocked softly on the door. There was no reply, so she knocked a bit harder. Moments later, Chouji answered the door and Temari said, "H-Hey, is Shikamaru here?"

"Yeah, but he's sleeping," Chouji said.

_When is he not sleeping? That lazy idiot. _"Oh, well can I just tell him something, it's i-important."

"Sure." They both went inside, seeing Shikamaru sleeping on the living room couch. Chouji left them to their privacy by going into his own room.

Temari went over to him. "Hey," she said, shaking him a little. "Hey," she said a bit louder. But there was no response. "HEY!" she screamed in his ear. However, he still didn't wake up. Temari got fed up and kneed him in the...well..._that_ area. That got him to get up finally.

He groaned and his eyes flew open, looking at the girl who had caused him the pain. "What the hell, Temari?!" he asked in agony.

"That was to wake you up...I need to tell you something i-important." She started to fidget, which was not the usually confident person she was.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows, noticing that something was wrong with the way she was acting. "What?" he asked. The pain was luckily subsiding. But _damn_, does that girl have some strength.

"Um, I-I," she cleared her throat and murmured softly, knowing that her friends were listening in, "This doesn't mean anything," to Shikamaru, which added to his confusion, since she had just said that what she needed to tell him was important. "I...l-love you." She turned beet red and ran out the door, ignoring the laughter of her friends.

Shikamaru was confused as ever and was still in shock. When the other girls went back to Sakura's room, Hinata decided to tell Shikamaru the truth of what just happened since she felt guilty. Even though the door was open, she knocked before entering and said, "S-Shikamaru-san, that was a dare given by me. I'm truly s-sorry and I j-just wanted to let you know that." She bowed again and left quickly.

Shikamaru shook his head and decided that the whole situation was just too troublesome to think about. So with that, he went back to sleep.

Temari was still muttering profanities by the time Hinata returned. Sakura, Ino and Tenten had tears in their eyes and were holding back their laughter that seemed to never stop.

"Ino! Your turn!" Temari said.

"Okay."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth; I am never doing anything like my dare ever again," she replied instantly.

Temari smirked. "Why did you say _love_ instead of _like_ in your last dare?"

Ino looked away, but everyone could see her cheeks gaining color. "W-Well, it just slipped out! I didn't mean it!"

"Psh. Okay..." she said, obviously not convinced.

"Meh. Tenten; Truth or dare?"

"You know...this is getting kind of boring," Sakura said.

"Yeah…" Temari agreed.

"Hey! But I had to go twice!" Ino cried.

"Well, that sucks for you now, doesn't it?" Tenten said.

Ino glared at her in response with her arms crossed.

After a long silence ensued, Sakura spoke up. "So, what do you want do now?"

Ino gasped, clasping her hands together. "Can we do makeovers now?!" Ino screamed.

"No, Ino. Shut the hell up about your damn makeovers," Temari said.

She pouted once more, and leaned back against the couch, murmuring how no one ever listens to her.

"I-I think we should do something that would make everyone happy," Hinata suggested.

"Like what?" Sakura asked.

Another long silence came.

"I GOT IT!" Tenten screamed all of a sudden.

"What?" Sakura said.

"I KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO!"

"What?" Sakura repeated.

A grin made its way on her face. "We can prank the boys."

Sakura, Temari and Ino instantly agreed and started thinking about the different things they could do to the boys.

Hinata stuttered. "W-We, um, isn't that rude? It could hurt them."

"That's the point; _revenge,_" Sakura reassured. "And besides, we won't do something that could actually hurt them. It's just a pranl."

"B-But what did they do to us?"

"They're boys; there shouldn't be any other reason," Ino bluntly said.

"B-But still..."

"If you don't want to do, you don't have to," Temari said.

"O-Okay."

"So what are we going to do to them?" Sakura wondered.

"Can we put makeup on them?" Ino offered. "I will have _someone_ to do makeovers on," she grumbled.

Sakura, Temari and Tenten agreed, but Hinata said she didn't want to do it. "I'll keep watch instead," she said. Everyone agreed and got their "weapons" ready. It was about 12:00 A.M. at this point, and they hopped that the guys were still sleeping. They decided to do the makeovers on the guys who were in Kiba's room, since there were 4 of them there and Hinata wanted to keep watch. Sakura was going to put makeup on Sasuke while Ino was going to do the same to Kiba. Tenten was going to do the same to Naruto and Temari with Shino.

They quietly crept into Kiba's room with their "ammo" and went to the people they were assigned to.

* * *

**~ Ino ~ **

Ino opened the door very slightly to Kiba's room, to check if he was asleep. When she was sure he was asleep, she fully opened the door, cringing when it creaked slightly. She checked if he was still asleep, which he was. Then, going over to his side, she giggled slightly, thinking of his reaction when he would get up the next morning.

She took out some makeup supplies and started putting them on him, stopping only when he moved a bit. She was holding back her laughter the whole time.

**~ Temari ~ **

Temari went into Shino's room swiftly like a ninja. **(A/N: Haha, you get it? Because she's like actually a ninja, but like, you know...okay, I'll shut up now.) **She noticed that he kept his dark glasses on even when he slept. As she started to remove them, he moved ever so slightly, so she decided not to. Temari did the same thing Ino did.

**~ Tenten ~ **

Tenten crept over to Naruto's sleeping bag, which was a couple of feet from where Sasuke's was. She pulled out some eye shadow, and was about to put it on, when Naruto rolled over and mumbled something inaudible. He had some drool coming out of his mouth. Tenten had a hard time putting anything on him since he kept moving around. She finally decided to pin him down and put the makeup on.

_Wow, he's a heavy sleeper. _

**~ Sakura ~**

Sakura, walked quietly over to Sasuke and knelt down. She saw Tenten a few feet away pin Naruto down with her legs and she smiled a bit. She turned back to Sasuke and took out lipstick, but just as she was about to put some on, he rolled on his side and pulled Sakura down with him. He was unconsciously and tightly holding onto Sakura and she was very confused with what just happened. She tried to wiggle her way out, but to no avail. She sighed in defeat and looked over at Tenten for help.

Tenten made a face as if to say, "What the hell are you doing?"

_Help me,_ Sakura mouthed to her.

Tenten held a finger, to tell her to wait and put some finishing touches on Naruto. Since she didn't really know how makeup worked, Naruto looked terrible. As soon as she was done, she rushed over to Sakura and whispered, "What am I supposed to do?"

Sakura shrugged. "Take his arm off me, maybe?" she sarcastically said.

Tenten gently tried to pick up Sasuke's arm, but it made him grab Sakura tighter and cuddle closer to her. Sakura's eyes widened and she whispered harshly to Tenten, "Dude!"

"I'm a girl!" she whispered.

"Whatever, just get his arm off of me, so I can be free from his death grip!"

Sasuke stirred a bit and Sakura and Tenten both froze and they looked over at him. Luckily, he went back to sleep.

Tenten sighed in relief. "Try to...I don't know...wiggle your way out."

Sakura tried to go under his arm, but he only held on tighter to her and pulled her towards him. Now, she was almost on top of Sasuke.

"Oh my God, Sakura. Wai one minute." Tenten dashed out of the room not waiting for a response.

"Wait!" Sakura whispered, but Tenten had already left. Sakura looked down at Sasuke and his serene face that was for once not glaring. It made her smile.

Tenten came back moments later with a book. Temari and Ino had just come out of the rooms as well, holding back laughter. They looked at Sakura and what position she was in and then at Tenten, wanting an explanation.

Tenten flapped her hand, signaling that she would tell them what happened later. "On the count of three, we're all going to run out of here, got it?" She raised the book. "One...two...three!" She slapped Sasuke in the head with the book which caused him to groan and wake up, releasing Sakura, who then jumped up and ran out of the room, followed by her 3 other friends. They closed the door and looked at each other and laughed. Hinata was confused as to what just happened. They all went back into Sakura's room.

"So Sakura...what were you doing on top of Sasuke?" Ino asked. She paused, wiggling her eyebrows. "Oohh."

"Oh please, Ino, in his dreams. I was about to put makeup on him, when he rolled over and grabbed me. Tenten saved me, but I don't think it was necessary to hit with my math textbook."

Tenten grinned sheepishly. "I couldn't think of anything else at the moment. I was kind of in a rush, you know"

After they all laughed, Temari said, "Let's try to get some sleep. It's about 1:00, and I'm really tired," Temari said.

The rest of them agreed, and settled down to try and get some rest.

**~ Sasuke ~ **

Sasuke groaned, and his eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust in the darkness. He heard some rustling, but it was soon gone. _What just happened?_ He held his head in his hands, which for some reason really hurt. Muttering some things, he went back to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note**:

_Heyyy! Well...that was an **interesting** chapter. I loooove torturing them with dares I would NEVER want. IT'S SO FUNN! ...I just realized that makes me sound like a lunatic...WELL ANYWAAAY...I decided to add Sasuke's POV after much nagging and begging from my best friend, **emnsems**, so yeaaah. I took her advice because she's an amazing writer and a really good poet as well. _

**_if you like ATTACK ON TITAN/SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN, pleeeeaasseeee visit her page. She writes amazingly! _**

_Well...I'm blabbing, but whatever. Please review! It means sooooo muuuuch to me! _

_Thanks again! _

**~ booklover333**


	7. Chapter 7: The Tennis Team Captain

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**:

Sasuke was the first to wake up in the morning and once noticing what the girls did last night, a smirk formed on his face and he left the dorm room, clearly amused, but at the same time relieved on the inside that no one could anything to him.

Shino was next to wake up and was furious, however happy once he found out that he wasn't alone and that Kiba and Naruto had the same problem as him.

Once Naruto and Kiba woke up, they looked at each other (more like gaped) and started laughing. Once they found out that they both had makeup on their faces, they started yelling and screaming, wanting to know what happened and who did this.

Kiba, Naruto and Shino went to Sakura's dorm room, knocking on the door angrily. Sasuke answered, instantly smirking again once seeing the furious faces of his friends.

"Where's Sakura-chan?!" Naruto screamed.

Instead of answering the Dobe's question, Sasuke decided to simply open the door, jerking his head in the direction of the living room where all the girls were still sleeping.

The boys heard a small groan and saw slightly messy pink hair. Sakura - who had woken up once she heard Naruto's loud voice. Rubbing her eyes, she looked over to the boys, the reason why she woke up and her annoyance soon vanished once she looked at the 3 fuming boys. Pursing her lips together to keep from bursting out into laughter, she spoke, innocence in her voice. "You called for me?" She had heard her name during Naruto's rant.

"Yes! What in the _hell_ happened to us?!" Naruto yelled.

Because of his loud voice, the rest of the girls started to wake up, having the same reaction as Sakura did.

Sakura tilted her head. "Good morning to you, too," she sarcastically murmured. The glares she received made her sigh and say, "What are you talking about?" still acting oblivious.

Kiba rolled his eyes in anger. "This!" he screeched, pointing to his face. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED!"

Sakura shrugged, running a hand through her hair lazily. "What about it? It makes you look good, Kiba...more _feminine_." She suppressed a giggle when he growled.

Hinata breathed. _Come on, Hinata. In and out. In and out. Don't faint now! _Looking at Naruto made her want to do just that. With mascara and eyeliner, his eyes were more visible than ever. Was it bad that she thought he kind of looked good?

She snapped back to reality when Kiba and Naruto spoke - more like screamed. "Do you know who did this?!" They spoke in unison.

A sly smirk crawled on Sakura's face. "..._Maaaybeee..._" she said just as slyly.

Tenten and Temari were laughing on the inside, but only carried smiles on their faces. Ino was like them as well.

"Then tell us!" Naruto wailed.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

Kiba pointed to himself. "Because I want _revenge!_" Kiba barked.

"Yeah, me too!" Naruto agreed.

Sakura rolled her eyes, looking at her nails in fake boredom. "It was a harmless prank, guys. Calm down, you dummies."

"_You_ did this?!" Naruto and Kiba said in surprise, once more in unison.

"Yup!" Temari interrupted.

Tenten and Ino grinned and stuck their tongues out at Naruto and Kiba.

"I-I'm so sorry N-Naruto-kun. I tried to stop them," Hinata tried to appease his almost palpable anger, fidgeting with her fingers all the while. _I...I should have stopped them. Of course Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun were going to get mad. Oh, no..._

Naruto's mood seemed to instantly light up and he scratched the back of his head in "It's fine if you did it, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blushed and looked away. _Oh, God. I'm really going to faint now. _

After the rest of the girls bid their goodbyes to one another and Kiba and Shino had left, Naruto grumbled something along the lines of, "I'm going to get this damn makeup of my _beautiful_face."

Sakura flopped down onto the couch next to Sasuke after putting her sleeping bag away, tucking it somewhere in her closet. She closed her vibrant eyes, leaning back into the couch and said, "You know, Sasuke...you have a really strong grip."

Sasuke stopped flipping through the channels on the TV, but kept the remote in his hand, turning to her with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." she started, opening her eyes and tucking her legs under one another, "I was going to put some makeup on you too, but you rolled over right before I could and grabbed me, pulling me on freaking top of you. You have a _really_ strong grip."

Sasuke glared at her, but on the inside he was embarrassed. _I _held_ her?! In my _sleep_?!_ "Hn," he grunted. "You're lucky you didn't put any on me."

Sakura let out a sigh. "Oh, calm down Sasuke." A smirk on her face appeared before she spoke again. "But, it was nice to see your face calm for once, instead of a glare frozen on it."

This made Sasuke glare more and Sakura laughed in response, shoving him a bit.

After Naruto had cleaned up, they all went down to the cafe to catch some late breakfast.

* * *

Around noon, Ino had suddenly decided that the girls didn't have enough clothes and _dragged_ Sakura, Tenten and Temari to the mall just off of campus - Hinata, however, coming willingly.

Sakura, Tenten and Temari protested all the way there, saying how they hated shopping and trying on clothes. Ino cajoled them by saying that they should go out once in a while and get some new clothes. But eventually, she got annoyed with their nonstop ranting and stopped being so kind. Regardless, they argued the whole way there.

After _four freaking hours_ of shopping, Tenten, Sakura and Temari were close to murdering Ino. When Ino finally agreed to go back on campus, they ran back, leaving Ino and Hinata with all the shopping bags.

"Hey," Sakura said drearily when she entered her dorm room.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke's reply came. He was laying on the couch, now reading.

"Ino and shopping happened," she said, the tiredness showing in her voice. She went over to the couch and pushed his feet off roughly, making him growl and plopped down on the couch, making herself comfortable by putting her feet on his lap.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, with a look that said, "Get your damn feet off me."

Sakura seemed to understand this and pouted. "Please?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued to read the book he was before, while Sakura smiled triumphantly and turned on her side, drifting into sleep.

* * *

The next time Sakura's eyes fluttered open, it was already dinner time. Going down to the dining hall, they all finished eating quickly. Afterwards, Naruto, even though he had just eaten dinner, insisted on making ramen - leaving Sakura and Sasuke to walk back to the dorm room together.

Disliking the silence that occurred during the walk, she decided to get a conversation going between the two of them. "So, what did you do all day?" she asked, hoping it would start a conversation that would break the unbearable silence.

Sasuke was just the opposite, however. He didn't mind the silence. In fact, he preferred it, as he was never much of a talker anyway. Not now and not even in his childhood. However, when he was young - and his parents were alive - he would run around the house screaming. He was pretty talkative when he was younger - but things change as you grow older. "Nothing much," he answered - his answers short and to the point as usual.

"Ahh." Sakura could tell he didn't really want to talk, but she still pushed on as she had something to ask. Pausing for a moment, she then asked, "Are you...mad at me?"

Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye, seeing her fidget with her hands - much like Hinata does. "Why would I be?"

Biting her lip, she looked the other way. "Y-You know, for the b-boxers thing yesterday." Red color creeped up on her face involuntarily no matter how much she tried to refrain it. _Why do I have to blush so much? Damn genes..._she thought, as her mother got red very easily as well.

"No, not really," Sasuke replied. He was sure as glad he didn't blush as easily as the girl beside him did, otherwise his whole face would have been red by now. God, was that incident yesterday weird. "But it was pretty stupid," he confessed after a small silence.

Sasuke heard her sigh. "Yeah, I know," she admitted to him. Somehow finding the courage to look him in the eye again, she said, "Sorry."

"It's fine," he answered.

Reaching their dorm room, Sasuke stayed in the living room, while Sakura retreated to her bedroom, where she read and drew in her sketchbook for a while.

After a while, she went back into the living room and once she saw Sasuke there, she said, "Yo."

Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading at her, with an amused smirk on his face that told Sakura that she wasn't going to like what he said next. "Don't say that again, _please_."

Tilting her head, she asked innocently, "Why?"

His smirk only got wider as he closed his book and turned towards her fully. "It sounds really lame when you say it," he shrugged.

"Tch. Well, too bad." Sakura crossed her arms. "I'll say whatever I want to, Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked once again at her response and how easily mad she got.

"Stop _freaking_ smirking! That's all you do!"

He shrugged again and then spoke in a mocking tone. "I'll _do_ whatever I want."

"Hmph!" Sakura turned her head away, her nose in the air. "Whatever! Good night, jerk," she said, going back into her room, after giving a dismissive wave to him.

Sasuke smirked at her actions and shook his head, turning back to his book.

"I KNOW YOU ARE SMIRKING, UCHIHA!" he heard her say - or more like - scream from her room.

He just smirked some more and then decided to go into his room as well.

* * *

The next morning in Calculus nothing was different. While the students were waiting for Kakashi to come in, Sasuke and Sakura were talking while Hinata was doodling in her notebook. The rest of the students were talking or fooling around as well.

The same routine went on: Kakashi coming in late, people yelling at him, Sakura yelling at Sasuke to stop smirking, Naruto inhaling ramen, Hinata blushing, Temari and Ino yelling at Shikamaru to stop being a lazy-ass, etc.

When Thursday came, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Tenten and Lee went to Tennis tryouts. Anko - the Tennis coach - and paired people up for playing doubles against another pair. Even though it was kind of cold, it was still relatively warm, so they were playing on the outside courts.

Exactly a week later, the results were posted and everyone crowded around the little piece of paper to see if they had made it on the team. There was a couple of "YES!"s and "Oh, damn it"s depending on the outcomes.

As for our gang, Sakura was the captain, with Sasuke as the co-captain. Tenten, Neji and Lee all made it as well.

"Hah!" Sakura yelled, pointing a finger at Sasuke once they reconciled in their dorm room. "You have to _listen_ to _me! _This proves that I'm _better_ than you! HAHA!"

Sasuke scoffed indignantly "Tch. Anko probably made you captain to make you feel better since you obviously have no talent."

"Oh, please, Sasuke. You know that's not true! You just want to make yourself feel better," she stated, punching his shoulder a bit.

They were both sprawled out in their living room, on the couch.

"You know what would make me feel better?" Sasuke asked.

"What?"

"If you would close your mouth."

Sakura glared at him. "Oh, shut up. Maybe if you could _open_ yours a little more, I wouldn't have to talk 'so much.'"

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Then she remembered about the upcoming midterms. "Did you study for midterms yet?"

"Tch, I don't need to study," Sasuke said cockily.

Sakura looked at him with an annoyed expression. Sure, he always got amazing grades, but did he really not even have to study? Sakura was also one of the top students, but she had to at least look over the test material before hand. "You're so conceited," she mumbled, getting up from the couch. Going into her own room, for the next 2 hours, Sakura studied as they were next week Tuesday-Friday and Sakura wanted to do well on them.

After dinner was eaten and Sakura had written in her journal, she entered the living room. "Yo."

Sasuke sighed. "I thought I told you that it sounded lame when you said that."

"Meh," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Then she continued. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sasuke nodded, signaling for her to go on.

"Tennis practice. Anko asked me to make a schedule and routine for training with you."

Sasuke nodded again. "Okay. Then let's do it."

Sakura brought her laptop out. Typing a heading at the top of the document she opened, she said carefully, "Okay, it might seem tough at first, but this is what I used to do in 8th grade for tennis practice in my old school. I think what we did for 9th grade would be too tough right now, but we can progress gradually."

Sasuke nodded yet again.

For the next hour, they sat together, making the tennis schedule. Practice was every day for 2 hours, except for Sundays, which they had off and Saturday which was 3 hours practice.

* * *

"Okay, guys!" Sakura said, clapping her hands together. It was Monday and tennis practice had officially started. "Here are the schedules for our games, the times that we practice and the routine that we are going to be doing every day, except for Sunday, which you all have off," she said as Anko handed out the papers. Not wanting to do anything else, Anko went to go sit on the bench and watched the shocked and horrified faces smirking.

Sakura laughed slightly at their expressions and tried to reassure them. "I know that it might seem tough, but it's really not. Also since tomorrow to Friday midterms start, you will be excused for one practice out of the four and practice will only be for an hour each day."

From there, training started. They had to do 10 laps around the football field, jump rope for 30 minutes straight, etc. After training for about 1 hour, Sakura and Anko divided everyone into pairs. Neji and Tenten were together. Sakura and Sasuke were together and Lee was with a guy named Toyo. They were to play a practice game, but it wasn't with official points, rather only going up to 21 points.

Then they played matches against their partners. Neji and Tenten were tied, with a never ending deuce going on and on. Sakura won by a small amount of points against Sasuke, even though Sasuke never admitted defeat.

"Too much pride is never a good thing, Sasuke," Sakura advised, shaking her finger at him.

He rolled his eyes as an answer.

Lee won against the Toyo guy and started screaming. "YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH YOUTH, MY YOUNG FRIEND. BUT I WILL HELP YOU AND YOU CAN BECOME AS YOUTHFUL AS ME!"

Toyo walked away after that.

"OH MY SWEET CHERRY BLOSSOM!" Lee said, running over to Sakura who was talking to Anko and Sasuke about the things that people needed to work on. "I HAVE WON MY MATCH AGAINST MY NOT-SO-YOUTHFUL-BUT-STILL-SOMEWHAT-YOUTHFUL FRIEND OF MINE! WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME NOW?!"

"Um...no," she shook her head. "I'm not really looking for a relationship right now, Lee. Sorry. Oh, and you should work on your backhand. Maybe Sasuke can show you sometime," she offered, glancing at Sasuke who glared at her. "He has a strong backhand."

"Oh," Lee said, he looked somewhat deflated. "Okay. Thank you, Sakura-san."

Sakura felt pity for him which quickly vanished, however, with his next statement: "I WON'T GIVE UP ON TRYING TO GET YOU TO GO OUT WITH ME! AND I WILL PUT MORE YOUTH INTO MY BACKHAND! THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND, YOUTHFUL WORDS!" Then he ran off towards the locker rooms.

Sakura shook her head at his behaviour. "...Okay, then?"

* * *

"So?" Sakura asked, her hands clasped in anticipation. Sasuke and Sakura were in her room, finishing up homework together right before dinner.

"So, what?" Sasuke asked, quickly finishing a math problem before looking up at her.

She shrugged. "Do you think the practice routine is too hard for everyone else, I mean almost everyone looked like they were going to pass out after the 4th lap."

"You said it yourself, they'll get used to it," Sasuke answered.

"I know," she said with a sigh, "but I guess I didn't put into thought that my coach was really hard and I am using his routine. Most people wouldn't expect this."

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't think anyone knows what to expect when it has you involved."

"Oh shut it, Uchiha."

Sasuke only smirked in response.

After they finished homework and had a quick dinner, Sakura studied for midterms - also making her roommates review things as well. Naruto, she had learned, had very little focus and it was extremely hard to keep him from thinking about other things - usually including ramen or Hinata.

* * *

The next day, they had a Biology midterm, which Sakura and Sasuke thought was fairly easy.

The week went by relatively fast. On Wednesday, they had a Chemistry midterm and on Thursday, they had a midterm for World History. The midterm on Friday was for electives so Sakura had a midterm for her medical classes.

Sakura sighed in relief as she sat down on the couch in her dorm room. It was Friday and she had just returned from tennis practice, so she was tired.

"Hey," she said when Sasuke and Naruto walked in. However they didn't hear her as they seemed to be bickering about something.

"You're really a teme, you know!" Naruto said exasperatedly, with a glare thrown in.

"Hn. Well, you're a dobe," Sasuke said, glaring back at him.

"Whatever! I don't care, but don't insult Hinata-chan!"

"Hn," Sasuke said.

Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "What did you say to him?" It was directed to Sasuke, but Naruto answered.

"He said Hinata-chan was stupid for hanging out with me!" Naruto said, finally hearing Sakura.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, who looked away. Hinata was her best friend and she was angry at Sasuke for saying such a thing. "Is that true?"

"Hn. Well, he kept going on and on about how awesome she is for hanging out with him. He wouldn't shut the hell up," Sasuke defended.

Sakura rolled her eyes and went up to Sasuke. She poked him on his chest, hard. "Don't say that about Hinata-chan again. She's certainly not stupid. Instead you should be complimenting her for putting up with Naruto and not going insane because of his stupidity!" she scolded harshly.

"Hey!" Naruto said.

Ignoring him, Sakura continued. "Got it, Uchiha?"

"Whatever," he said, going into his room.

Sakura rolled her eyes again and turned to Naruto. "He'll be fine in about 5 minutes - just let him calm down."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Sakura-chan," he said, hugging Sakura, who was shocked at first but then hugged back.

Afterwards, Sakura listened to music while drawing. After about an hour, she knocked on Sasuke's door.

He was lying on his bed and once he noticed her come into his room, he turned on his side, away from her.

Sakura smiled. "Oh, come on. You're not really mad, are you?" she said.

"Hn."

Sakura sighed and went over to him. "Hey," she said, shaking him a bit. Even though he didn't turn to her, she continued to speak. "Look, I'm not going to apologize because I did nothing wrong, but, please don't be like this."

"Hn."

Sakura sighed again, crossing her arms on Sasuke's side and resting her chin on them. "What do I have to do in order for you not to be mad at me anymore?"

"Nothing."

"Finally, you're speaking."

This got a hint of a smirk from Sasuke. "Hn."

Sakura looked at him again, removed her arms and said. "So, are you okay now?" She didn't have any idea why he was so mad. He was like a child after being scolded by his mother.

"Hn," he said and sat up, facing her.

She laughed at his behavior and shook her head. "Come on. We've got to go to dinner," she said, grabbing his larger hand and pulling him up.

_So warm..._

"Okay," Sasuke said.

_It's nice. _

* * *

**Author's Note**:

_I know this chapter was really boring and kinda short, but that's only because I split something that was one chapter into two. I did that because it was like over 6,000 words and I felt like that was way too long and also, a lot happened in it. So in the next couple of days, after I reread it and approve of it, I'll upload it. _

_I want to sincerely thank you so much for reading, reviewing and taking time out of your day today. _

_Thanks again! _

**~ booklover333**


	8. Chapter 8: SNOWBALL FIGHT!

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

Soon enough, days flew by and then a week and it was mid-December. Even though the weather was starting to get colder than before, tennis was a great way to keep warm. However, on really bad days, the team practiced on the inside tennis courts.

Outside, little snowflakes that were coming down as if in a rush in the early hours of the early weekend morning made the city of Konoha seem like it was covered in white. No one or anything had stirred yet and because of that, everything looked perfect, untouched - as if out of a movie.

In her bedroom, our favorite pink-haired girl woke up to the sound of howling wind and the slight creaking of her window. Opening her eyes, she rubbed them and got up shakily out of bed. Deciding to close the window tighter, she stood up and opened the curtains. But instead of doing her original job, she gasped, seeing all white, ignoring the pain it gave her still sleep-induced eyes. _Snow!_

Running over to Sasuke's room and through his door without knocking with a certain alacrity, she was about to squeal happily to him when it vanished, seeing Sasuke's posture - his head resting on his knees and his arms wrapped around him in a protective manner. Sakura's smile and excitement faltered and she walked over to him gingerly after closing the door behind her, sitting gently down on his bed.

"Hey," she said softly, tilting her head. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke looked up at her. Sakura could see the hurt in his eyes and something in her drived her to hug him, so she did. He looked so lost, so hurt. And she wanted that to go away. Sakura wanted him to be happy - after all he's been through, he deserved it. Sasuke sighed in relief, breathing in her familiar scent and trying to calm himself down.

"It happened 5 years ago. Today," Sasuke murmured against her soft and comforting neck.

Sakura's gaze softened and she hugged him tighter - trying to convey the message through her actions that he would be alright. "Oh." She knew he was talking about his parents' murder and she didn't know what to say, opting to gently stroke his hair while holding him tightly.

After a few moments, they let go of each other and Sasuke said, "Thanks."

"You did the same for me," she shrugged.

Sasuke gave a hint of a smile and the peace was disturbed as Naruto came barralleing through the door. "TEME! IT'S SNOWING! CAN WE MAKE SNOW RAMEN?!"

Sakura tilted her head. "What the hell is snow ramen?"

Only now noticing her, Naruto's eyes fixed on her and Sakura could swear that she saw little twinkle sparkly things form in his big, blue eyes. "Oh!" he said. "You take snow and ramen noodles and put it in a bowl and heat it up in the magical microwave!" Then he pouted. "But for some reason, it always turns out to be just water and ramen noodles! I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE SNOW GOES! I think that a ghost or witch or something is haunting me and not allowing me to make my snow ramen!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, then back at him and smacked their foreheads. _Idiot! How did he get through science? _the both of them thought.

"What?" Naruto asked, with an innocent tilt of his head. He was so elated that it made Sakura laugh.

"Nothing, Naruto," Sakura laughed. "Nothing."

Naruto squinted and then shrugged, pushing the thought away because snow ramen was more important. "So can we go now?! I WANNA MAKE SNOW RAMEN!"

"Why don't you go ask Hinata to make snow ramen? We don't want to."

"YES!" He pumped his fist in the air and then ran out the door to go outside.

Sakura laughed and shook her head at where Naruto was once standing and then turned to Sasuke. "I think we should go outside too. A little fun will help take your mind off things."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, falling back down on the bed, his face stuffed in his grey pillow.

"Please?" Sakura nudged him in the side, making him flinch a little.

"Hn."

"Please?"

"Hn."

"Are we really going to go through this _again_?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Hn."

"For me?"

"...Whatever." His muffled reply sounded annoyed.

"Same as always," Sakura giggled.

Sasuke got up, rolling his eyes.

"I'm going to put on something warmer. I'll be back in about 5 minutes. Get ready!" she said threateningly, pointing her finger at him as she left the room.

"Yeah, yeah."

Five minutes later, true to her word, Sakura knocked on Sasuke's door, "Are you ready?" Over her pajamas, she had a huge, fuzzy jacket, boots, gloves and a scarf.

"Yeah." Sasuke's door opened. He was wearing a large, blue coat, boots, gloves and a hat, that was covering his bangs and part of his eyes, which made him look adorable. At least, that's what Sakura thought. It made her blush slightly and look away.

"Come on. Let's go before Naruto starts screaming about how his snow ramen isn't working." Her voice was full of sarcasm.

Sasuke nodded but then stopped, noticing she wasn't wearing a hat. "Wait," he said. "You don't have a hat. You're going to get cold."

He was obviously worried which made Sakura smile. "Yeah," she nodded. "I forgot to pack mine when I was coming here. But it's fine. I don't need one."

"Yeah, you do." He pulled off his hat and stuck it on Sakura's head. But since the hat was bigger than her head, it made her eyes barely visible. The sight of her like that made Sasuke blush slightly. _She looks...cute like that. _

Sakura pouted. "But now you're going to be cold!"

"Hn. It's fine."

Sakura sighed. "I swear - you're like an overprotective father."

Sasuke smirked.

"At least take my scarf," Sakura reasoned, pulling off her scarf and tying it securely around his neck.

Sakura pursed her lips in amusement once she did. Sasuke's hair was ruffled from his hat, he had an annoyed look on his face and he was wearing a pink and black scarf.

"I look like a pansy," he stated.

"You do not!"

"What was the point of this? We just switched a scarf and a hat with each other. Now you don't have a scarf and I don't have a hat."

"Oh, shut up." Sakura grabbed his gloved hand, feeling the warmth of his hand through the material. "Now, come on."

Sakura led him down the stairs and they went outside to see other students already playing in the snow. Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Temari, Kankuro, Naruto, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji were already there. Neji, Shikamaru and Shino came unwillingly, being dragged by their female roommates. Gaara didn't want to come and Temari and Kankuro didn't force him, knowing that he wouldn't budge.

Instantly when they got outside, Shikamaru laid down on "a comfortable patch" of the snow and closed his eyes.

"How can he fall asleep here?" Temari yelled.

"I know!" Ino agreed.

They both kicked him and he woke up with an irritated expression on his face.

"YOU LAZY ASS! WHY DON'T YOU ACTUALLY HAVE SOME FUN INSTEAD OF SLEEPING ON YOUR LAZY DAMN ASS ALL THE TIME?!" Temari and Ino shrieked in unison.

"Why are girls so troublesome?" he answered with a deep sigh.

This resulted in him getting pelted in the face with many snowballs by all the girls that were outside, except for Hinata.

Then Naruto snickered, looking at Sasuke. "Nice scarf, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at him before picking up snow and forming it into a ball shape and chucking it at him, but Naruto ducked and it ended up hit Neji. He glared at Sasuke, with a glare very much like Sasuke's and threw his own snowball, which was supposed to Sasuke, but since he dodged, it hit Kiba. From there, it was snowball _war_.

Everyone started pelting everyone else with snowballs, even Neji, Shino and Shikamaru, who had been convinced by their female roommates. Hinata even got the courage to stuff snow in Naruto's face, which resulted in him chasing her, Hinata squealing in delight the whole time.

Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Ino were making a snowman together, occasionally throwing snow at each other in a fun teasing manner.

Sakura and Sasuke, however, were on a different level. They had both built mini snow forts and were currently hiding behind them. Once in a while, they peeked out and either threw a snowball or got hit in the face with one.

After a while, when Sakura wasn't looking and was building up her "ammunition" of snowballs, Sasuke crawled over to Sakura's fort and crept up behind Sakura.

When he reached behind her, he said, "Boo!" And when Sakura flinched and turned around, she was met with a mountain of snow falling on her.

"UCHIHA!" she yelled, before getting up, brushing herself off and running after him.

Sasuke just smirked and ran slower, teasing her.

"Oh, you are so going to get it, Uchiha! YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET TO YOU!" When Sakura reached him finally, she tackled him to the ground and they both fell - Sakura on top of Sasuke. They were both breathing hard and once Sakura remembered what just happened, she punched him, then started laughing. And she could swear that she saw a hint of a smile on Sasuke's face.

"I really don't like you, Uchiha," she stated.

"The feeling is mutual," he retorted.

They stared into each other's eyes, Sasuke smirking, Sakura smiling, until they heard something.

_Flash! _They both looked up to see a smiling Ino looking at a camera with big eyes. "AWW! That was just about the cutest picture ever!" she started squealing and jumping, showing the picture to everyone.

"Ino!" Sakura screamed. "I'll get you for that."

"I'm so scared," Ino said sarcastically.

Sakura glared at her until Sasuke said from underneath her with a groan, "Would you get off of me now? You're not exactly the lightest thing in the world."

Sakura smacked his shoulder playfully, before getting off of him.

After a long, tiring game of snowball war, everyone started making snow angels. Sasuke unwillingly and because of Sakura's pouting, did so and even made a snowman with the help of the others.

After hours of fun in the snow, everyone went inside to get warmed up. Naruto attempted to make snow ramen again, but - obviously - it didn't work, so he started crying all dramatically. **(A/N: You know like the white tears that they get when they are dramatic in anime.) **But luckily, Hinata managed to calm him down a bit and he launched himself on her, mumbling on and on about how it wasn't fair that the witches and ghosts wouldn't let him make snow ramen, until Neji yanked him off and threw him away, glaring at him the whole time.

Everyone crowded in the common room, lit a fire in the fireplace and got some hot chocolate. Then, everyone played video games, talked, watched movies and played board games until around 4:00, when they decided to get something to eat.

"No way!" Ino screamed.

"SHHH!" Tenten said to her. "Don't scream it out loud, but yeah!"

"Go, Tenten!" Temari cheered.

"Who would have thought Neji would actually have the guts to ask you to be his girlfriend?" Sakura asked.

She got slapped on the arm by Tenten for this.

"No, really. I'm surprised because I swear he is like an ice cube."

All the girls laughed at this comment.

"It's true! Sasuke is too," Sakura defended.

Afterwards, Sakura and Sasuke went back to their dorm room. Naruto wanted to try making snow ramen once again and Hinata went with him. The rest of their friends were tired and wanted to rest for a while.

"Well," Sakura said, plopping on the couch, "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"I guess."

Sakura looked at him with an annoyed expression. "Oh, come on. You know it was fun, you just don't want to admit it. Just like you don't want to admit that I am a better tennis player than you."

Sasuke said, "Hn" and turned away.

Sakura giggled at his childish behavior. "I'm bored. What do you want to do now?" She said.

"How are you so energetic?" Sasuke asked, amazed that even after all that she still had enthusiasm to jump around.

"Maybe it's just your oh-so-joyful vibes that you seem to give off," Sakura said sarcastically.

Sasuke made a face at her and she stuck out her tongue at him. Sasuke smirked at her antics, which made Sakura glare at him.

"I'm still bored," Sakura said after a period of awkward silence had gone by.

"I figured," Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Can we take a walk outside?" Sakura inquired.

Sasuke looked at her. "In this weather?"

"Oh come on. It's not that cold and I love winter!" She pouted at him. "Please? Just for a little while?"

"Fine," Sasuke deeply sighed. _She could make me do anything with that face of hers. _

Sakura squealed and jumped up, dressing in warmer clothes again. Once they were outside, they roamed around their large campus. Then they went near the place that Sasuke showed her. On the right of it, there was a forest of trees that had a small pathway.

Sakura tugged at Sasuke's sleeve, telling him to come over there with her. There were snowflakes falling slightly in the sky, the wind had settled down and the way the snow fell on the trees was mesmerizing.

Sakura oogled at the sight of them and ran ahead of Sasuke to look at them. When she turned back around to Sasuke, she had a large smile on her face.

_Why does she have to look so perfect?_ Sasuke thought. It was true. Sakura had a large smile on her face like a 4 year old getting a lollipop after going to the doctor or something, snowflakes fell on her hair in the perfect way, her nose was slightly red from the cold and her overall expression made Sasuke blush slightly.

"It's so beautiful!" she said, looking back at the trees.

"Yeah, you are," Sasuke mumbled.

Sakura looked at him. "Hm? Did you say something?"

He shook his head. "No." Then he grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go back to our dorm room. It's getting dark and dinner is supposed to start soon."

Sakura nodded in agreement and together they walked back to the dorm rooms, hand in hand.

* * *

After dinner, when Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were in their dorm room, Sasuke sneezed.

Sakura looked at him from her place on the comfortable armchair, where she was reading _Pride and Prejudice - _a classic and one of her favorite books to read during the winter "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

Sakura looked at him skeptically and walked over to him, abandoning her book. She put a hand on his forehead. "You have a fever." She shook her head. "I told you would be cold without the hat!"

"Sorry, _mother_."

Sakura just slapped his arm. "Come on. You're going to bed."

"What? No. It's only 9:15," Sasuke protested.

"Well, too bad. You're sick!" Sakura scolded.

"It's just a fever!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Which could turn into something worse if you don't rest and take of yourself."

Sasuke sighed in defeat. "Fine." He knew that when she was like this, there was no reason arguing with her.

Sakura nodded in satisfaction and helped him up with her hand. As soon as Sasuke got up, he wobbled and fell right back down due to lack of balance. "See?" Sakura said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. _It could be just exhaustion from today, you know. Baka._ But he kept his mouth shut because he didn't want to be castrated.

Sakura helped him up again, but this time she slung his arm around her shoulders and supported almost his full weight.

"Damn, Sakura-chan - you're strong," Naruto commented.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have to do this if you would help! But, never mind, go get a bowl full of cold water and a cloth," she ordered.

Naruto fake saluted her with a cry of "Yes, Ma'am!" and left to complete his "mission."

Sakura rolled her eyes at his childish behavior and helped Sasuke to his room where she gently put him on the bed. She covered him with the sheets and said, "Lay down comfortably."

Sasuke complied.

Naruto came in a little while later with the supplies she told him to get. "Here," he said, giving them to her.

"Thanks, Naruto," Sakura said.

Naruto smiled cheekily, "No problem, Sakura-chan!" Then he left the room, probably wanting to make more ramen.

Sakura dipped the cloth in the cold water, wrang it out and put it on Sasuke's forehead. Then she laughed.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"I never thought that the 'mighty Uchiha' would get sick and I would be taking care of you like this. It's pretty funny."

Sasuke just shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I'm kidding and besides, I like taking care of people." She looked away. "I mean you have to if you want to become a doctor, I suppose." Then under her breath, "Even though I probably won't be able to." Her father would never let her as he wanted her to become successor of Haruno Industries. Her father never thought to acknowledge any of her daughter's desires.

"Hn." Then he opened his eyes, "Can we watch a movie?"

"Now?"

Sasuke nodded.

Sakura huffed. "Fine." She got Sasuke's laptop from his desk. "Which movie?" she said once she sat down on the bed.

"Any," he shrugged slightly.

Sakura put on another of her favorite horror movies and climbed on the huge bed with Sasuke. When it was done, she noticed that Sasuke had fallen asleep. She smiled at him and put the laptop on the nightstand. She changed his cloth again and she was about to go to her own room to try and fall asleep when Sasuke grabbed her.

She looked back at him, thinking that he might have woken up and wanted something. "Yes?"

He didn't answer; he was still sleeping. Sakura laughed at the irony of her situation. It was like the sleepover night all over again.

She tried prying his arm off of her gently, but he tightened his grip and moved her closer to his body.

Sakura sighed and tried taking his arm off again, but this time he pulled her stronger and she landed on top of him. "Don't leave me," he whined in his sleep.

Sakura pursed her lips to try to stop her laughter. _Who knew he could whine?_

"Oh my god, Sasuke." Then she laughed a little. "Old habits, die hard, eh?"

She managed to get on his side, but he never released her. Giving up, she sighed and snuggled closer to him, not caring at the moment that he was sick, only caring for his warmth. "Don't worry; I won't leave you," she said quietly.

Once she was asleep, Sasuke opened one eye and looked at the girl he was holding and smirked. His plan had worked.

* * *

**Author's Note**:

_OOOOOO! MISCHIEVOUS SASUKE! Hehe. _

_Wasn't this a cuuuuute chapter? IT MADE ME ALL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE. Okay, well...PLEASE review and stay in tune for the next chapter! BYYEE! _

_I want to sincerely thank you for taking time out of your day to read and review my story. _

_Thanks again!_

**~ booklover333**


	9. Chapter 9: Christmas Shopping

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

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**Chapter 9**:

The next morning came and when Sasuke and Sakura woke up in the same position as last night, both of their cheeks colored - Sakura more than Sasuke. Sakura was about to ask if he was feeling better when Naruto came through the door without knocking. "Hey, teme. I was wondering if-" He then noticed the position the two were in and laughed nervously, "Uh...um...I'm sorry if I'm...um…disturbing anything between you two." Then paused and started towards the door. "I-I'll just ask you later then, teme."

Sasuke and Sakura blinked, trying to figure out what just happened. When they realized what Naruto was implying, they both blushed and hastily got up.

"Uh...um….H-How are you f-feeling?" Sakura stuttered. _Goddamn it. Will I ever stop blushing around him?_

"Oh...um...better. Thanks," Sasuke answered.

"Okay, well I should probably go get ready for school," Sakura stated.

Sasuke smirked at her. "Okay."

She squinted her eyes at him, wondering why he was smirking. Shrugging it off - figuring that it was probably just regular, old Sasuke - she said a quick goodbye and went out the door. In the next 15 minutes, she was ready to go. She knocked on Sasuke's door. They had to get to class now, even without breakfast, if they wanted to be on time.

"SASUKE! COME ON! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" she yelled. Glancing at her watch, it was already 7:27 A.M. She had a perfect record of never being late to any class and that wasn't going to be ruined by Sasuke. When he didn't answer, she burst in his room, prepared to yell at him. However, the prepared screams had died when she saw him on his laptop, still in his pajamas, laying on his bed and turned into confusion.

"What the hell are you doing? We need to leave!" Sakura yelled at him.

"Sakura, it's Sunday," Sasuke said. He didn't look up from his laptop.

Sakura gaped at him. "W-What? But you-" She only then realized why he was smirking before. "YOU ASS!"

"Yeah, I know."

"UGH!" She stomped out the room, slamming the door in the process. Mumbling things on the way to her room and not paying attention to her surroundings, she bumped into a wall, only to have Naruto catch her.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

"No, Naruto! I'm not okay!" She squirmed out of his arms. "Sasuke is an ass and he didn't tell me that we don't have school today!"

Naruto laughed, which resulted in him getting hit on the head. "OWW!"

Sakura then stomped into her own room, throwing her bag on her desk chair and plopping down on her bed. _So now what do I do? _She was bored again.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Thinking it was Naruto, Sakura sighed and said, "Come in!" A head peeked in, but it wasn't Naruto's, it was Sasuke's. Sakura let out an exhale again. "What?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, instead opting to go over to her and sit down on the bed beside Sakura.

"What?" Sakura repeated.

Sasuke just stared at her, refusing to say anything.

"Can I help you?"

Sasuke shook his head, sending his bangs across his face.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'll be right back." She stood up, taking some clothes out of her closet, "Don't touch anything," she warned as she left. After changing into a short sleeved white top and green and white pajama pants, she went back into her room. She saw Sasuke in the same position as before and purposely chucked her clothes that she was previously wearing at Sasuke, which made him scowl.

"So, what do you want?" Sakura said, going over to her dresser and putting some lotion on her hands.

Sasuke mumbled something inaudible.

"What?"

Sasuke sighed. "I said 'I'm sorry.'"

Sakura stopped rubbing the lotion into her hands and after a few moments of silence, Sakura burst out laughing. "S-Sorry," she said, in between of her laughs. "It's so funny hearing you say that."

Sasuke grumbled. "Well, you're not going to hear it again."

Sakura smiled at him. "Oh, I'm sure that's not true."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in response.

"So what do you want to do now?" Sakura asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

Sasuke shrugged in response.

Sakura rolled her eyes and went to the window, opening the curtains. Sunlight poured into the room. _It's like the weather is having mood swings. Just yesterday it was snowing, now it's sunny. _"Seriously, make up your mind!" She said out loud by accident. She covered her mouth with her hands and turned to look at Sasuke who was giving her a weird look. "Hehe...sorry."

Sasuke shook his head and closed his eyes, laying back on her bed. Then, the doorbell rang. Sakura went to go get it and saw Temari, Tenten, Ino and Hinata. "Hey, guys!" Sakura invited them all in. "You need anything?" Temari and Tenten looked annoyed and angry.

"Yes, actually," Ino said, "We need to go christmas shopping and get our dresses for the Christmas Dance before we forget."

"Oh my god, I totally forgot!" Sakura screamed. The school was hosting a Christmas Dance that you could attend if you weren't away on break. Sakura's and all of her friend's homes were too far away to go for Christmas so they decided they were going to go. Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru weren't going home either. Naruto and Sasuke didn't have any parents and the rest's family were on vacation.

"You're welcome," Ino stated. Then she grabbed Sakura's hand. "Now, come on! We're going to the mall to get our presents and dresses!"

"Wait! I need to change, I'm in my pajamas!" Sakura protested.

"Oh, fine. BUT HURRY UP!" Ino screamed.

Sakura nodded and ran into her room, closing the door behind her, she was halfway through taking off her pants before someone cleared their throat. Sakura turned around to see Sasuke there, who was slightly blushing. "AHHH!" she screamed. Then she grabbed him by the collar, opened the door, threw him out and said, "GET OUT AND STAY OUT!" Then she slammed the door shut in his face.

Sasuke just blinked in confusion, before shaking his head and turning around to go to try and go to his room. Instead, he was met with very confused and somewhat amused girls. Ino, Temari and Tenten started laughing hysterically and between giggles, Ino asked, "Why...Why were you...in there….in the first...place?" Hinata was blushing bright red.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and "tched." Then he went back to his room. He was not going to explain to a couple of giggling girls that he actually went after Sakura to apologize. An Uchiha has more pride than that.

Sakura came out minutes later, still looking flustered. She grabbed her cell phone and bag and stormed out the door, leaving her snickering friends following after her.

When they reached the mall, they decided they were going to shop by themselves, so each friend wouldn't know what the others got for them. At the time, it was ten in the morning, so they agreed to meet a couple of hours later, at one, at the food court to get something to eat. And then afterwards, they would go get dresses together and then finally, go back to their dorm rooms. Sakura roamed around for the first half an hour, thinking of what to get for her friends. Then, she spotted a weapon shop. _That would be perfect for Tenten!_ she thought.

She went inside and picked a beautifully and intricately designed dagger, which had a snake symbol on the handle. It came with a shiny, silver sheath as well.

Sakura purchased the items and head outside. A couple of shops down, she saw a makeup shop. She recognized it as the one that Ino had dragged her and her friends too. Sakura inwardly shuddered, standing outside. Reminding herself that she was doing this for her friend, she walked in. As quickly as she could, she picked a lipgloss that she remembered Ino was rambling about. She also picked up a purple eyeliner and blush for Ino.

Then she spotted a dark, navy blue nailpolish that she thought would look great with Hinata's hair, so she bought that too. After purchasing all of the items, it was already eleven.

After another hour of shopping, she picked a pair of small snowflake earrings, which she was planning to give Hinata for her birthday, which was on December 27, a purple and black scarf and a white purse that had purple hearts on it. Sakura also found earrings in the shape of shuriken for Tenten. For Temari, she got one of those spike bracelets that Sakura thought would fit her "punk" style of dressing and a pair of black combat boots that she knew Temari had been wanting.

In another shop, she had found a lavender shirt with a pig on it that she was going to give to Ino, even if she knew she was going to pay for it.

It was twelve and she still had another hour to shop. _What am I going to get Naruto and Sasuke? _She thought.

After a while of thinking, she decided to give Naruto a coupon for all-you-can-eat buffet for a whole week for a place called Ichiraku Ramen, the place that he was always ranting about. She also got him a pillow with a ramen bowl on it. After thinking for some more time, she still didn't know what to get Sasuke. He didn't seem to like many things. Then she got an idea and walked over to a store that caught her eye.

Soon, it was one and she went to the food court to see Hinata, Temari and Tenten already there. "Hey!" Sakura waved and ran over to them. "Where's Ino?"

"Hey! And I don't know, it's already 1:15 and she's the one who made up the plan to meet here," Tenten stated.

"She probably got caught up looking at clothes for herself," Temari said, making the rest of the girls dissolve into a fit of laughters.

"Hey guys! What's so funny?" Ino said, running up to them. She looked at them, confused, but shrugged it off and said. "Sorry I'm late, I saw this really cute top that I just had to buy." She gestured to the 5 shopping bags on each hand.

Sakura smacked her forehead. "And so you decided to buy the whole store?"

"No! Almost half of them are for you guys, you know!" she defended.

"I doubt that…" Tenten murmured under her breath?"

"What was that, Panda-chan?" Ino said darkly.

"N-Nothing." Tenten said, putting her hands up in mock defense. Then her eyebrow twitched, remembering what Ino had said, "And what do you mean,_ Panda_-chan?! Do I look like a _panda_ to you?!" she screamed. "Check your eyesight, woman!"

Ino laughed. "Well, you do look like a panda!" She poked one of Tenten's buns. "See?"

"I hate you so much," Tenten muttered.

"Well, you're just so dandy aren't you?" Ino asked.

"Dandy? Who uses 'dandy' anymore, Ino-pig?" Sakura questioned.

"I DO! And who do you think you're calling pig, FOREHEAD?!"

A vein popped on Sakura's face, "YOU! I'm calling you a pig! While you're getting glasses for your terrible eyesight since you mistake people for pandas, get a hearing check-up too!"

Sakura and Tenten both glared at Ino, while Temari laughed at their actions while Hinata tried to calm them down.

Everyone around them was staring at them weirdly, wondering why girls were yelling at each other using insults like "panda," "pig," and "forehead." Then, in unison, everyone started laughing and after calming themselves down, they decided to get something to eat. For the next hour, they talked and laughed, getting threatened to

After around 2:00, they went to a store that sold women's dresses. After _2 hours_ of trying dresses, they had finally decided what they were going to wear.

Then, they went to their dorm rooms, reaching there about 5:00.

"Hey, Sasuke," Sakura said, coming in with a few shopping bags and plopping them in her room. "Whatcha doing?"

"Watching a movie," Sasuke said.

"Ah," Sakura answered. Then she paused, looking away, the red returning to her cheeks. "Um...about before. S-Sorry."

"I-It's fine," Sasuke said.

"O-Okay. Um...well I'm going to my room so yeah," Sakura said. She grabbed her pajamas once she was in her room and went to take a long, nice, hot shower.

Afterwards, she went to her room and laid on her bed, thinking about different things. She noticed how Sasuke's fangirls didn't really do anything major to her in the last few months. _Maybe they finally got some sense knocked in them. _

She was happy that they only had to go to school for 3 more days, until December 23rd. They got December 24th to January 2nd off as a winter break. Then she realized that she didn't have a date for the Christmas Dance. _Oh, damn it! s_he called Hinata from her cell phone.

"HINATAAAA!" she wailed when the phone was answered. "I need your help! I am in a crisis because-"

She got cut off when she heard a masculine voice, "Um...Hinata is in the bathroom right now."

Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized it as Kiba and blushed. "S-Sorry. Can you tell her to call me back?"

"No need, she's out of the bathroom," Kiba said. "Hinata! It's Sakura!"

Sakura heard the phone being handed over to Hinata and she said, "Hinata? Is that you this time?"

Hinata giggled. "Y-Yes, Sakura-chan."

"Okay," Sakura paused then started her rant again. "HINATAAAA! I need your help! I am in a crisis because I don't have a date to the dance!"

"Oh," Hinata said. "Maybe you should ask Sasuke-san."

Sakura blushed. "Psh. Like he would ever go to a dance. Nonetheless, he wouldn't be that much of a pushover to actually ask a girl himself."

"W-Well, you should try to hint at it. S-Sasuke-san is a smart person, I'm sure he'll figure it out," Hinata reassured.

"Meh," Sakura sighed. "Fine, I'll try." Then she smirked deviously. "Who are you going with?" She paused. "N-Naruto-_kun_?" she teased, saying Naruto's name how Hinata does. Sakura knew that Hinata was blushing, which she was.

"S-Sakura-chan!" Hinata squeaked, "A-Actually, he already asked me."

Sakura gasped. "WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

"I-I knew Ino-chan would make a b-big fuss about it if I told you a-all toda," she defended.

"Well, duh!" Sakura exclaimed, "Anyway, so when?"

"Y-Yesterday. H-He was chasing me because I-I threw snow at him and we k-k-kind of fell and then he asked me."

"AWWW!" Sakura cooed. "So what did you say?"

"Well...I-I fainted," Hinata paused, "B-But when I woke up, I-I said yes."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Sakura squealed.

"T-Thank you and Ino-chan is going with Kiba-kun. Also, Tenten-chan is obviously going with Neji-nii-san," Hinata said.

"Really? Gosh, that pig never tells me anything!" Sakura shouted.

Hinata laughed.

"You think Shikamaru is going to actually swallow his pride and ask Temari to the dance? They seem closer these past few days," Sakura noted.

"Yeah. I hope so," Hinata agreed.

"But you all have dates then! UGH!" Then Sakura took a deep breath. "But I really don't want to drop hints for Sasuke, it makes me feel like a fangirl."

Hinata laughed again. "W-Well, you don't have to, if you don't want to."

"Mehhhh. I'll see," Sakura said. "Okay, thanks for everything, Hinata-chan!"

They said their goodbyes and Sakura laid back on her bed before taking a deep breath and heading to the living room. She saw Sasuke, who was still on his laptop.

She sat down next to him. "Hey," she said._ I can't do thiiiiiiis._

"Hey," Sasuke replied, not taking his eyes off of the device in his lap.

"So…" she sighed. "Do you...Are you going to the dance?"

Sasuke sighed as well, knowing that she wanted to talk and turned off his laptop, setting it on the small coffee table in the middle. He turned to her. "Probably not. Why?"

"Just asking."

"Are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Am I what?"

"Going to the dance?"

Sakura shrugged. "Well, I just went shopping to get a dress, but then..." she blushed and looked away. She couldn't tell him that she didn't have a date; that would be embarrassing and a kick to her pride. "Um…actually...no. I'm not going."

Sasuke speculated her, then smirked, "You don't have a date do you?"

Sakura blushed more and glared at him. "Shut up!" She crossed her arms and looked away/ "So what if I don't?"

"Is that why you're not going? Is that why you came to me?" Sasuke asked.

"Damn you," she seethed. _Why can he read me like an open book?!_ She started to get up when a hand pulled back down, into someone's lap. She looked up at Sasuke, noticing how close they were, not even a few centimeters apart and blushed more. By now, she was sure that her entire face was red.

He leaned closer to her and whispered, "If you want, I'll take you."

_What's gotten into him? _Her heart was pounding against her chest so hard, she was sure that Sasuke could hear it. Her breathing was labored. "O-Okay," she squeaked out.

Sasuke smirked and even though Sakura couldn't see it, she knew that he was. It was like a ghost of his smirk was tickling her cheek, right near where his lips were. Then she got up and bolted into her room. After a few minutes, she had managed to calm herself down, but a faint blush was still visible on her cheeks.

She leaned against the door and slid down it, sighing. Sakura didn't come out of her room until dinner time, which she quickly left the room not waiting for Naruto or Sasuke.

"What's with her?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke smirked and shrugged innocently.

Naruto eyed him, then asked, "And did you ask anyone to the dance? Or are you still too much of a teme to?"

"Shut up, dobe. And yes," Sasuke said.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at him, "YOU ACTUALLY ASKED SOMEONE?! THE HELL?! OH MY FREAKING GOD, IT'S A MIRACLE! BUT NOW THE WORLD IS GOING TO END, NOOOO!"

Naruto shut up when Sasuke punched him on the end, "Shut it, dobe. And it turns out you finally had some courage to ask Hinata."

Naruto blushed, "S-Shut up! So who is it?"

"Sakura"

Naruto laughed at his friend's blushing face, but then, his face turned serious. "But, teme, seriously, Sakura has changed you. You're not that much of an ass as before."

Sasuke blushed harder, looking away.

"I'm happy," Then he pulled Sasuke into a one-armed hugged and they both walked out.

On the way to the dining hall, Naruto saw Hinata and abandoned Sasuke to run over to her and glomping her.

Sasuke was sure he saw a flash go off somewhere, but he ignored it.

The day passed quickly and it was around midnight, but Sasuke was still up, thinking. _She has changed me, hasn't she? _

He smirked and closed his eyes, surrendering to the realm of dreams and sleep.

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**Author's Note**:

_I will elaborate everything in the next chapter. I didn't really describe too much in this chapter because I wanted it to be a surprise for later on. Sorry that this was somewhat late as I usually try to update every week or so. Sorry again! PLEASE REVIEW!_

_I want to sincerely thank you for taking time out of your day to read and review my story. _

_Thanks again! _

**~ booklover333**


	10. Chapter 10: The Christmas Ball

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks! **

**This chapter is kind of confusing because I explain what every girl got (who cares about the boys? LOL) and it is kind of boring, but their reactions make up for it, so stay with me. And I am not going to be updating my other stories until I am done with this one. And YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EVERYONE WAS GETTING FOR A PRESENT, DAMN! I AM NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN AFTER THIS STORY, SCREW THE DETAILS! Okay, now that I am done with my rant...ON WITH THE STORY!**

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Chapter 10:

It was Christmas Eve and Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were all in the living room, talking. They invited all their friends who hadn't gone on vacation for a sleepover.

When everyone arrived, Sakura said, "Okay. First of all, Merry Christmas Eve!" She paused when she heard cheers, "And second, I have a ski resort that my parents own about 3 hours from here by car, so if you want to come, you can. I'm going from December 26 to the end of break."

Once everything was settled, it was decided that everyone was going there.

After many hours of having fun, they all decided to go to sleep.

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The next morning, once everyone woke up, they exchanged presents.

Tenten was ecstatic from all the weapons she got. She got a dagger and earrings shaped like shuriken from Sakura. From Ino, she received a shirt that had different weapon designs, a bracelet with different sport charms that Tenten liked on it and a picture. The picture was of Neji and her, on their first date ever. The picture was taken after Tenten had just boldly kissed Neji's cheek when they reached Tenten's home. They were both blushing slightly, holding hands, staring into each other's eyes. Tenten blushed furiously, refusing to show the picture to anyone and slapped Ino on the arm, not so gently. Tenten also received shuriken, kunai and a katana from Temari. From Hinata, she got the tennis racket she had been wanting forever but couldn't afford and a sword. But when she opened Neji's gift, her skipped not one, not two but several beats. It was a handmade bow and arrows that was carved with such precision Tenten wasn't sure if he had bought it or really made it.

"Is...Is this why you were always in the woodshop room?" She asked quietly.

Neji nodded, smirking. "Yeah."

"Oh my gosh! NEJI!" She tackled him into a hug and kissed him passionately and Neji willingly responded.

"GET A ROOM!" Naruto yelled.

They tore apart from each other, blushing and smiling.

Ino was smiling brightly when she opened each of her gifts. She got perfume and black, strappy heels that she had always wanted from Hinata. Temari's gift to her was a nailpolish set and a shirt that said "Girl Power!" with a volleyball on it. Tenten had given her white, long earrings and a black bracelet with Ino's name carved into it. Sakura gave Ino a lot of makeup like eyeliner and blush. Ino squealed when she saw the lipgloss she had been wanting.

"FOREHEAD!" Ino screamed when she opened the last present from Sakura that was the shirt with a pig on it, "IMMA KILL YOU!"

Sakura laughed nervously and for the next 10 minutes, Ino chased Sakura around the room, until Temari and Tenten finally caught Ino and threatened to steal Ino's makeup if she didn't stop trying to murder Sakura. After that, Ino finally calmed down.

"Here." Kiba said, handing a box.

"Why are there holes on the top?" Ino asked. She took the box from him and her blue eyes widened considerably, "AND WHY IS IT MOVING?!"

A bright smile from Kiba answered her.

She set the box down carefully and removed the flaps of the box. She stared down a small puppy staring up at her innocently. It's fur coat was the color of snow and it had big, brown eyes that made Ino melt. "OH MY GOSH! IT'S A PUPPY! HOLY FLUBBERKNUCKLES!" **(A/N: I felt like it and yes, they are allowed to have pets, but only dogs and cats. Kiba has Akamaru, but there are rules that go along with it.)**

She leaped on Kiba, making him fall down with her on top and hugged him. "KIBA-KUN! YOU GOT ME A PUPPY!" And with that she kissed him sweetly.

Afterwards, she ran over to the puppy, leaving Kiba in shock that she had just kissed him. It was their first kiss and it was a _damn_ good one, to Kiba at least.

Ino gathered the puppy in her arms and it sniffed her cautiously before snuggling up to her, instantly deciding that Ino was a good person. The puppy then yawned cutely and fell asleep in Ino's arms. "AWW!" The girls all squealed.

"Is it a he or a she?" Ino asked Kiba, who had finally got over the shock that Ino kissed him.

"A he, so that he could protect you." Kiba said.

Ino smiled and hugged him with one arm, the other holding the puppy close to her. It was quite ironic since the puppy was so tiny.

"I'm naming him Shiro, because his fur is white." **(A/N: Shiro in Japanese means white.) **Ino beamed at him and kissed Kiba lightly on the nose. "Thank you."

Kiba blushed, "U-Uh...no problem."

Ino giggled at his stuttering.

Hinata got many gifts that she had wanted and loved. From Sakura, she got a dark, navy blue nailpolish that matched her hair color and a purple and black scarf. From Tenten, she got many books and a black bracelet with Hinata's name carved into it. She got some light makeup that she wore sometimes, white purse with purple hearts and a picture from Ino. **(****A/N: If you haven't noticed, Tenten got everyone something and then a bracelet with their names carved into it. And Ino got everyone something with an embarrassing/cute picture along with the other gift.)** The picture was of Naruto glomping Hinata in the hallway. Hinata was bright red and Naruto was smiling cheekily, slightly blushing, arms holding Hinata in a tight embrace. Hinata blushed brightly when she saw the picture and quickly put it away. She got a charm bracelet and a rhyming book, for her poetry, from Temari.

"N-Naruto-kun! Thank you!" She hugged him tightly once he gave her his gift. It was a heart locket that said Naruto's name on the front with a key lock. Inside was a picture of them two.

Kiba had taken it when they were coming back from the movies as blackmail and Naruto had asked him for it so he could give to Hinata. In the picture, Naruto had swept up Hinata in his arms and they were both blushing and laughing, eyes closed in happiness.

Once Hinata let him go, she remembered how there was a key lock, "N-Naruto-kun? Why is there a key lock on this?"

Naruto grinned, "Because I have the key!" He brought out his own necklace which was in the pocket of his pants. said Hinata's name on it.

Hinata smiled and they hugged again, "You certainly _do_ have the key to my heart." She whispered to him. Then, she blushed furiously, realizing what she just said, "I-I...I'm so sorry, I...I didn't-"

Naruto just laughed and hugged her petite form to him closer in response. "It's alright, Hinata-chan."

"Awww." The other girls all cooed, making Naruto and Hinata blush and spring away from each other.

"We ruined the moment didn't we?" Sakura asked Tenten who nodded in response.

Temari opened her presents next. She got one of those spike bracelets and black combat boots that she had been wanting. She squealed very girlishly, surprising everyone and hugged Sakura tightly for the gifts. From Tenten, she got a necklace with a soccer ball on it and a black bracelet with her name carved into it like the others. Hinata gave Temari a necklace that had a charm with her name on it and a poster of Temari's favorite band, Rock Valor. **(A/N: I found the name on a random band name generator. Sorry if this is a real band. If it is, I do not own it!)**

"OH MY GOSH, I WAS GOING TO BUY THIS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" She hugged Hinata tightly.

"Y-You're welcome." Hinata laughed.

After the little episode, Temari opened her present from Ino. It was a black shirt with rips, showing red underneath with the logo of Rock Valor on it. The logo was a skull with two swords going through it with "Rock Valor" written in blood-red block letters on the back.

Ino also, of course, gave Temari an embarrassing picture. It was of Temari and Shikamaru in the roller skating rink, in the beginning of the year. The picture was taken by Ino when Temari was about to fall, but Shikamaru had caught her. Temari was glaring up at Shikamaru, while he was smirking lazily down at her. Even though Ino didn't know who Temari was at that point, she knew it would still be great to tease Shikamaru about it later on how he actually got off his ass and did something as "troublesome" as helping someone.

Temari, like all the other girls blushed and quickly stuffed the picture into the bag for her other gifts.

"This was pretty troublesome, but I guess you're worth it." Shikamaru said, thrusting something towards her.

"Wow, I would have never thought that the lazy ass would have actually gotten something for me." Temari said, taking the item from him.

She scanned it over and her eyes widened considerably. She turned to a smirking Shikamaru, gaping at him. "I-Is this…?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"OH MY GOSH, YOU DID NOT!" Temari screamed, tackling Shikamaru, "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

Shikamaru laughed slightly, "It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, I like the band too." He said, wrapping one arm around her tiny waist, the other on the ground, keeping him steady.

Shikamaru had gotten her two tickets to see Rock Valor's concert which was coming up.

Temari smiled at him, "Then you're coming with me."

Shikamaru smirked back at her, "Deal, troublesome woman."

When Sakura's turn came, she opened Tenten's gift first. Tenten had given her many books which to Sakura squealed and hugged her. She also received a black bracelet with her name carved into it, like everybody else. Temari had given her earrings that matched Sakura's dress to the Ball and some drawing utensils. Sakura opened Hinata's present next which were a journal to keep ideas for writing in and a painting of cherry blossoms.

"OH MY GOSH! HINATA-CHAN! THIS IS AMAZING! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Sakura shrieked, looking at the painting.

Hinata laughed, "Y-You're very welcome."

Sakura opened Ino's gift warily, wondering what made all the other girls blush and quickly store something away. Sakura got more books and white and black bead earrings, but there was something else. There was a picture as well. Carefully, Sakura took it in her hands and looked at it. The picture was taken on the day everyone played outside in the snow, Sakura had tackled Sasuke to the ground, effectively pinning him down. Sakura was smiling brightly while Sasuke was smirking and they were both looking into each other's eyes affectionately.

Sakura blushed and was about to hide it away when someone grabbed her wrist, though not too harshly. It was Sasuke.

He looked at the picture Sakura was holding, to see if that was why she was blushing so intently. Sasuke blushed slightly after seeing it and dropped her hand, not looking at her.

After everyone had thanked each other for the presents, everyone left, to have the day to themselves until the Christmas Ball.

"Oi." Sasuke said, making Sakura look up. "Wait here for a second."

Sakura was confused but nodded.

Sasuke went into his room and got a small box. Once he went back in the living room, he handed it to Sakura, "Here." The whole time, he was blushing.

Sakura looked at him for a second before opening it. Inside the box was a beautiful necklace with Sakura's name engraved on it. There were cherry blossoms engraved on it as well. _T__his must have costed a fortune._ "S-Sasuke. T-This...Thank you." She hugged him slightly, but feeling him tense up, she started pull away when Sasuke stopped her by hugging her softly back.

"It's nothing." He replied, making Sakura smile into his shoulder.

"Wait here, I have something for you too." Sakura went into her room and retrieved a box. "Here."

Sasuke took the box, noticing it was quite heavy. Slowly opening it, he peered inside to see an amplifier, for his electric guitar. "S-Sakura." He looked up at Sakura, "How did you know that I needed one?"

Sakura shrugged, "I remembered you complaining about how old your other one was, so I thought that I would get you one." Her hands were clasped behind her back, fiddling with each other and she was rocking back and forth on her heels happily. **(A/N: I do this so much when I am nervous or embarrassed.)**

"Thank you."

Sakura smiled, "You're welcome."

Sasuke put the box down on the couch and embraced her again, burying his face in her pink locks.

* * *

The day went by quickly and at 5:00 all the girls were in Sakura's room, getting ready for the Christmas Ball. After 2 hours, they were ready. The Christmas Ball started at 7:00 and ended at 10:00.

Sasuke, Naruto and everyone else were in Kiba's room, getting ready as well. Once they were done, they knocked on Sakura's door to get their dates. Tenten opened the door since the others were just finishing some last-minute touches.

Neji slightly blushed at the sight of Tenten. Tenten had a dark, red dress that hugged her body nicely that stopped right above the knee. After much debating and fighting with Ino, she finally agreed to let her hair down. No one had ever seen out of her twin buns, so they were amazed. Her silky, slightly curly brown hair went down to the middle of her back. She had some makeup on that surprised all the boys since Tenten hated makeup. "Ino." She simply stated, knowing they would all understand. She had the shuriken shaped earrings on that Sakura had given her as well. All the girls were wearing the black bracelet with their names carved onto it that Tenten gave them. Tenten had bought one for herself too, which she was wearing as well.

She then let all the boys inside. Right when Naruto saw Hinata, "HINATA, YOU LOOK REALLY HOT-"

This comment wasn't finished because he has been punched, courtesy of Neji.

"Hello, N-Naruto-kun." Hinata shyly said. She had on a blue dress on with white snowflakes lining the trim of it. It went down to a couple of inches above her ankle and she looked amazing. Her hair, which was usually down, was up in a bun, with strands of her hair falling, to frame her face. All in all, she looked stunning. All of her jewelry was white and she had makeup on that finished the look.

"Y-You look amazing!" Naruto commented, warily glancing at Neji.

Hinata blushed, "T-Thank you."

Neji glared at him, about to punch him again when Tenten stopped him, "Oh, come on. They're so cute. Let them be, just for this night?" She pouted.

"Tch. Fine." He agreed.

Kiba had been staring at Ino since he entered and she was starting to feel uncomfortable. "U-Uh...Kiba-kun?" Ino stuttered.

Kiba snapped out of his gaze, "Y-Y-Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm fine. You...You look really p-pretty tonight." He mumbled.

Ino blushed, "Thanks." She had on a pink dress that stopped mid-thigh and was strapless. She also had a white belt with a pink heart in the middle of the dress, near her waist. She had makeup that matched and for once, her hair was out of her usual ponytail and curled, coming down to her lower back.

For once, Shikamaru was even shocked, he had mustered up enough courage to ask Temari to which she teased him a little, but in the end, finally agreed. Shikamaru was surprised that she was actually wearing a dress, makeup and for once, looking like a girl. "W-Wow."

Temari had a light purple dress on that reached just past her knees. It had spaghetti straps and flared out at the bottom. She had let her hair down as well, but it was curled at the bottom, like Ino's. The only traces of makeup that she had on was eyeliner and lipgloss, refusing to do anything else. She had some jewelry on as well.

Then, the bathroom door burst open, "Sorry guys, I was fixing my stupid hair." Sakura said.

Almost all the guys raised their eyebrows, she looked like an angel. Sakura had a white dress on that was decorated with blue trimming on the bottom. It reached up to her knees. She had makeup on, like her friends and her hair was in a style similar to Hinata's, with the strands that were falling out curled. Ino had managed to get her into heels as well, which she had_ many_ problems walking in. She had on the earrings Temari had given her as well as some other accessories.

Sasuke was staring at her and she was staring at him too. _He looks amazing in a suit!_ Sakura inwardly squealed.

_Damn._ Was the only thought running through Sasuke's mind.

They both, lost in their own world, didn't hear Ino yell, "Let's go!" and didn't notice everyone leaving the room.

After a while, when they finally snapped out of it, Sakura blushed and looked away, "H-Hey."

"Hey." Sasuke said back. Their voices came out like they were out of breath.

They both stood there until Sakura said, "We...We should go."

Sasuke nodded and walked towards her, holding an arm out, slightly blushing. Sakua, still blushing, shyly linked their arms together, noticing how perfect it felt. And they both walked out.

When they reached the school's cafeteria, where the Ball was being held, everyone was in awe. It didn't look like the cafeteria at all. All the tables were pushed over to the side, decorations were lining almost everything they laid their eyes on, music was blasting and people looked like they were having fun.

Sasuke and Sakura stood, still in awkward silence until Sasuke said, "Let's get something to drink."

Sakura followed him to where the drinks were located.

All of her friends came over to them and Sasuke wandered over to his own friends.

"What happened? Why did you take so long?" Tenten asked.

Sakura blushed, "Nothing. Sorry." She innocently sipped her drink.

Her friends left the topic, knowing they wouldn't get anything out of her anyway.

They were all talking until Naruto came up to them and said, "May I steal Hinata-chan away?"

All the girls nodded vigorously and Hinata blushed. Then Naruto grabbed her hand and said, "Would you like to dance?"

"Y-Yes."

Then they were gone. Sakura and her friends laughed at how hard Hinata was blushing and how oblivious Naruto was.

After Hinata and Naruto danced to a slow song, they disappeared out of the building.

"Let's go take a walk." Naruto suggested, he seemed nervous which was out of character, but Hinata ignored it, nodding her head in agreement.

When they were outside, after a few minutes of silent walking, Naruto suddenly stopped and grabbed Hinata's hand. Hinata turned back confused.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was blushing, "H-Hinata-chan, I need to tell you something."

Hinata nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"I-I…I really like you, H-Hinata-chan. And...I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend." He said, refusing to meet her gaze.

Hinata looked at him in shock, _I-Is...Is this really happening? Oh no, please don't faint!_ After taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she said with some confidence that even surprised herself,"N-Naruto-kun, I-I would love to be."

Naruto looked back at her with wide eyes. Then he broke out into a smile and swept Hinata up in his arms. He then kissed her passionately.

Hinata was extremely surprised, but slowly she started to feel herself being pulled into the bliss of kissing Naruto and she surrendered to it, closing her eyes and kissing him back boldly, which surprised Naruto, but he kissed back even more.

While Naruto and Hinata were outside, Neji asked Tenten to dance, to which she agreed.

"I didn't know you could dance so well." Tenten stated.

Neji blushed slightly, "It runs in the family."

Tenten laughed, "You're so cute, Neji!"

Neji laughed slightly, "I've been wondering," He paused, leaning closer, "Why don't you call me Neji-_kun_?"

Tenten blushed and looked away, "It makes me feel like one of your idiotic fangirls."

Neji chuckled and shook his head, "I wouldn't mind if you said it."

"Really?" Tenten looked back at him.

Neji nodded, "Yeah."

Tenten smiled and shyly tilted her face upwards and her lips met Neji's. "Okay then, Neji-_kun._"

Neji smirked and kissed her again.

So now, it was just Sakura, Temari and Ino. But moments after Tenten left, Kiba asked Ino to dance which she accepted.

"I never thought you would like to dance, Kiba-kun." Ino stated.

"I don't." Kiba said.

"Then...why?"

Kiba shrugged, "I knew that you would want to dance so I thought that I might as well."

Ino giggled, "Aww." She flicked his nose. "Thank you." She laughed more seeing his face flushing brightly.

"You know, I think Akamaru and Shiro are best friends already." Kiba said.

Ino nodded, "Yeah." It was true, they had left the two dogs in Kiba's room and they playfully barked and chased each other before landing in front of their owners in a heap. Ino and Kiba had both snuck out quietly, trying not to make them notice their absence.

"Well, I guess that just means you and I will have to spend more time together, right?" Kiba looped his arms around her waist, pulling Ino closer.

Ino blushed, "Y-Yeah." And she put her arms around his neck.

Then, Kiba smashed their lips together in a forceul, heated and gentle kiss, all at once.

"Guess it's just you and me now." Temari said to Sakura.

"Yeah."

"My date is too much of a lazy-ass to dance so why don't you go ask Sasuke?" Temari asked.

Sakura scoffed, "Please. I could never imagine Sasuke dancing."

"It's worth a try."

"Meh." Sakura answered.

"Come on, let's go over there. I'm going to make that lazy-ass dance." She stated.

Sakura sighed, "Fine."

Both of them walked to where Sasuke and Shikamaru were sitting at a table. Shikamaru had his head resting on his arms which were folded on top of the table and of course, he was sleeping.

"Hey lazy-ass!" Temari yelled.

Shikamaru peeked open an eye to see Temari. He sighed and said, "You want to dance, don't you?"

Temari nodded.

"Why? Dancing and moving is so troublesome."

"THEN WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!" She screamed, getting aggravated.

"Ugh. Fine. Let's go dance Troublesome Temari." He smirked lazily.

Temari rolled her eyes and grabbed Shikamaru's hand.

"Do you even know how to dance?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru looked at her, "Tch. Obviously, why would I have asked you to this troublesome dance if I didn't?"

"Because you're an ass, that's why! You are always complaining about how 'troublesome' everything is and maybe, just maybe you could have some motivation to do things, you could be likeable-"

She got cut off because Shikamaru had grabbed her kissed her, gently but affectionately. Automatically, Temari's arms wound themselves around his neck and Shikamaru's hand went on her waist, tugging her closer.

When they broke apart, Shikamaru muttered, "You're so troublesome."

Temari smiled, "I know."

"Tch. Damn, I promised I wouldn't fall for a troublesome woman like you."

Temari smirked, "Well, I am pretty sure being with a lazy-ass like you wasn't the first thing on my list either."

"But here we are." Shikamaru said.

"Here we are." Temari repeated and she kissed him again, with him responding instantly, not thinking that it was troublesome at all.

After Shikamaru and Temari left, Sakura sat down next to Sasuke.

After a while, Sasuke said, "Do you want to dance?"

Sakura shook her head, "I can't dance well. Especially not in these heels."

Sasuke smirked, "Well, lucky for you, my parents were good dancers, and the traits were passed down on to me. Come on." He stood up, took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Right when they came, a slow song started.

_Oh great, just my luck. _Sakura thought.

Sakura hesitantly put her arms around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist.

They were both blushing.

Sakura looked down at her feet, to make sure she wasn't stepping on Sasuke when Sasuke lifted her chin with his finger. "You should know that when you dance, you never leave your partner's eyes. You have trust them enough to know that they will lead you." He smirked, "So just follow me."

Sakura nodded.

They both stared into each other's eyes, feet moving perfectly in sync now.

"See? You got it." Then he paused, putting his forehead on hers, "You're so beautiful." He whispered softly, his eyes closed.

Sakura blushed, never thinking Sasuke would say that and because their faces were not even inches away. Their breaths were mingling and Sakura felt the space between them needed to be closer.

Luckily for her, so did Sasuke and before Sakura knew it she was having her first kiss. She felt like it was the best feeling ever, like they deserved to be each other's. Her eyelids felt heavy suddenly and she closed them, Sasuke mimicking her.

He pulled her closer, Sakura doing the same. It was like everything in the world stood still, everyone and everything was quiet. The music could no longer be heard and Sakura felt a tingle of sensation run down her body. It was a foreign but an amazing feeling. Sakura felt like she wasn't on Earth anymore and she could only be brought back down by Sasuke. It was a beautiful and perfect feeling. They kissed for a long time until the need to breathe interfered and they broke apart. Sakura wanted more, she never wanted it to end. _Stupid human urges to breathe, always ruining things._ They both thought.

They looked at each other, both blushing furiously. They continued to dance, but closer this time and more comfortably. Even though the song had ended, they were still dancing, oblivious to the world around them.

When they finally realized that the song was over, they decided to get something to eat. They walked off the dance floor, hand in hand.

Sakura heard some whispers behind her and turned to see some girls looking at her with a glare that could kill. She inwardly shuddered and turned back to Sasuke who was looking at her. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing." Sakura reassured.

"Okay." Sasuke was still unsure. Then, Naruto called him over, "I'll be right back." He said to Sakura and went over to Naruto.

Sakura nodded. Then she blushed, remembering that she had just had her first kiss, and nonetheless, from Sasuke. UCHIHA SASUKE, the one who she had hated in the beginning of the school year, the heartthrob of the school, the one girls would do anything to spend time with!

She gently touched her lips smiling. Then she felt something washing over her. She whipped around to see Karin holding the punch bowl on top of Sakura's head, only it was empty. Her other two friends were behind Karin, smirking.

"Oh my gosh!" Sakura looked down at her dress. It was covered with red and was ruined. She felt sticky and she could feel tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.

"That's what you get, bitch!" Karin sneered. "You stole Sasuke-kun's first kiss! That was supposed to me!"

_That was Sasuke's first kiss? He seemed like he had done it before._ "That gives you no right to pour punch on me, though!"

"You deserved it! You stole my Sasuke-kun and I warned you in the beginning of the year! You have been hanging out with him since you met him and this is what you get!"

A crowd formed around them. Sakura stared at her in disbelief and she started feeling the tears well up in her eyes more. She blinked, refusing them to fall out and ran out of the cafeteria and out of the building, tears blinding her vision.

Sasuke pushed through the crowd roughly and looked at Karin, "Where's Sakura?" He asked.

Karin's voice turned high pitched, supposedly a voice that was meant to seduce Sasuke, "She went to the...uh...bathroom. But why would you care about that pink-haired bitch anyway? Let's dance, Sasuke-kun!"

She grabbed his hand which he yanked away instantly.

"She is not a bitch, you're the bitch. Get the hell away from me and don't ever call me that again." The crowd cheered which made Karin fume and stomp out. Then Sasuke ran out of the cafeteria, following the drops of punch as his path.

He saw Sakura sitting on one of the benches, crying and he ran faster. "Sakura!" He called out.

At the mention of her name, she looked at whoever came after her, seeing Sasuke. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, so she took off her heels and ran.

"Sakura! Wait!"

"No! I don't want to be with anyone right now! Leave me alone!" She yelled, the wind whipping her words back to him.

"Sakura! Please, just wait!" Sasuke called, trying to run faster.

"No! Just...please! Leave me alone!" Sasuke could hear her voice breaking and he felt a pang of guilt in chest. It was _his_ fangirls who had done that to her.

Sasuke ran as fast as he could and he finally caught up to her. "I thought I told you that I want to be al-"

That was all she could say because Sasuke hugged her. "Calm down. It's fine now. There's no one else here, you can let it all out."

And with that, Sakura started crying again. As if on cue, tiny snowflakes started falling, making a beautiful sight as the school was decorated with colorful lights. They both sat down on a bench and Sakura said, "Sorry. I got your suit dirty." It was true, some stains of punch had made their way onto his suit and tears, for that matter.

But he just shook his head, "You really shouldn't be saying that." He gestured to her dress.

It was almost as if she had never gotten a white dress, it looked red and pink now.

Sakura sniffled and then slightly laughed. "Yeah."

Sasuke pulled her in for another hug, "I'm so sorry."

Sakura was confused, "Why?" She said, hugging him back.

"It was my fangirls who did this." He sighed.

Sakura didn't know how to answer so she just shook her head. Then she laughed, "I told you that it wouldn't be true."

"What?"

"You said that you won't be saying sorry again, but you are." Sakura giggled.

Sasuke shook his head at her, "How can you still laugh when you're in the state that you are?"

Sakura shrugged, "I can always laugh when you're around to tease."

"And I can say the same." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura smiled, "And what happens if I'm not there?"

Sasuke leaned closer and whispered, "I'll find you." And he closed the gap between their lips again. He pulled her closer, wrapping his hands around her waist, deepening the kiss. Her hands clutched at the back of his head. The kiss was gentle and soft, but was intense all at the same time.

"Sakura!" Someone called out.

They both broke apart when they heard her name being called, blushing. Ino ran up to them, "Are you okay? I heard what happened!"

Sakura nodded, "But my dress is ruined."

"I'm so sorry." Then she grinned, "But you should have seen what Temari and Tenten said to Karin! They went full-bitch mode!"

Sakura laughed while Sasuke smirked. "Tell me about it later, okay? I want to go back to my dorm room and change now." Sakura said.

Ino nodded understandingly. "Okay, I'll tell everyone else."

"Thanks."

After Ino left, Sasuke and Sakura stood up. Sasuke noticed that Sakura was slightly shivering, so he draped his coat over her shoulders, making her smile up at him gratefully.

When they got back to their dorm room, Sakura went to go take a shower and changed into her pajamas. When she got out, she noticed that Sasuke had changed into his pajamas as well.

Sakura raised her eyebrows, "You aren't going to go back to the ball? There is still 1 and a half hours left of it."

"Why would I when my date is not going to be there?" Sasuke said.

Sakura laughed and sat down next to him. She desperately wanted to ask him a question, but she knew it would make it awkward and uncomfortable between them.

She heard Sasuke sigh and lean back, "What do you want to ask me?"

"Huh?"

"I know that you want to ask me something."

Sakura glared at him, "And how would you know that?"

Sasuke shrugged, "I know you well enough." He smirked.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Okay, fine, yes. I do want to ask you something." She bit her lip, looking away, blushing out of embarrassment, "W-What are we?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know...just what is between us?_ Are_ we anything?" Sakura asked. She hoped Sasuke would understand what she was saying.

When he didn't answer for a while, Sakura felt really embarrassed and cursed herself for making things awkward between them. Then, she felt an arm around her shoulders and felt herself being pulled towards Sasuke.

"We're a couple." Sasuke stated, pulling her closer.

"R-Really?" Sakura asked, not believing his words.

Sasuke nodded, "Really." He confirmed.

"Good." Sakura answered. Then she smiled, "I remember how I used to think that you were such an ass in the beginning of the year. I mean I still do, but not as much of one."

Sasuke smirked, "Oh, why thank you."

Sakura blushed, seeing Sasuke stare at her intently.

"Sakura." He said quietly, poking her nose playfully. "You really are beautiful."

Sakura blushed, "Thanks." Then she giggled, "You really have changed."

"For the better or worse?"

"The better." Sakura answered.

"So you like this side of me better?" Sasuke asked.

"Definitely." Then she pulled him by his shirt and kissed him.

Sasuke was shocked, not really expecting that kind of move from the girl, but soon he shut his eyes and held her closer.

For the next hour and half, they both talked with each other, sneaking kisses in between. And when Naruto entered the room, coming back from the Ball, he saw the two on the couch. Sakura's head was on his chest, legs tucked between each other and both of their arms were wound around each other, like they never wanted to let go.

Naruto smiled and shook his head at them and went to go to sleep as well.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**ZOMG, that was such a long and eventful chapter! SASUKE AND SAKURA ARE FINALLY TOGETHER! IT TOOK OVER A MONTH AND 10 CHAPTERS, BUT THEY ARE TOGETHER. AND ZOMG, IT TOOK SO LONG TO FIGURE OUT EVERYONE'S GIFTS, but whatever, I am never doing that again! But, was it cute? Review, please! BYE!**


	11. Chapter 11: Vacation Day 1

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**I am so sorry that it took kind of long to update, I started writing a new story because I got an idea so yeah. SORRY! Also, only one person reviewed for the last chapter, thank you** _sakuraseeker2792**. **_**I WAS SO UPSET! I mean, the chapter that Sakura and Sasuke finally freaking get together, only ONE person reviews. So that is why I decided to torture you by waiting a bit more than a week. Mehhh. But please, please review. You have no idea how much I squeal and oogle at _one _review so PLEASE REVIEW! Anyway, ****here is the 11th chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 11:

The next morning, Sasuke and Sakura woke up early so they could pack for their mini vacation that was ahead of them. They both showered and had some breakfast before they started to pack. Half an hour later, Naruto still hadn't woken up so Sakura decided to wake him up so that he could pack too.

Sakura went into his room, to see him clinging onto the huge ramen pillow that she had bought him for Christmas, like a monkey on a tree.

"Ramen…" He said in his sleep, drooling slightly. Then, he started to try and eat the pillow, right were the ramen bowl was located.

Sakura sighed, "Naruto! That ramen isn't real! Stop trying to eat it!" She yelled.

Because of her yelling, Sasuke decided to come and see what the commotion was about. When he saw Naruto, he shook his head, muttered "dobe" and left.

Naruto had yet to give up on trying to eat the pillow and was still in a deep sleep.

Sakura stomped over to him and punched him hard, "WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" She yelled in his ear.

Naruto shot out of bed and turned to Sakura, "That was my ear!"

"And I don't care! Stop trying to eat the pillow!"

Naruto was confused, "Why would I try to eat a pillow?"

"LIKE I WOULD KNOW! You were asleep, muttering "ramen" over and over again and then, you tried to eat that pillow!" She said, pointing to the ramen pillow.

Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Hehe. Sorry."

"Sheesh, Naruto. Really." She took a deep breath, "Now get up and pack. We're leaving in an hour."

"Oh, right!" He yelled. Then he jumped up and bolted to the shower.

Sakura shook her head and went into her own room to finish packing some last minute things.

Then all of a sudden, she felt arms being wrapped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder to see Sasuke smirking. She leaned back in his embrace and he rested his chin on her left shoulder.

"Hey." He whispered slightly, his breath fanning on her neck.

"Hey." She whispered back.

When Sasuke was about to say something, Naruto wailed, "Sakura-chyyaaaaaaaaaaaaan! I can't fit my ramen in my bag!"

Sakura closed her eyes, "Just one moment of peace, Naruto." She muttered.

Sasuke smirked and released her from his grasp.

"I'll be right back." She said, going to Naruto who was crying about how he couldn't fit his 30th bowl of instant ramen into his bag.

"Naruto! Where are your clothes?!" Sakura screamed.

"Oh, they're right here." He stuck his hand in his bag, rummaging through the ramen cups to the bottom, pulling out a shirt and shorts.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! It's freaking winter! Why would you wear shorts and we are going to be staying there for about a week! You would need more than that!"

For the next half an hour, she helped him pack actual clothes for winter, while Naruto secretly stuffed instant ramen bowls in his bag as well, when she wasn't looking.

"There! I don't know why you couldn't do that yourself, Naruto!"

Then, she went back to her room and organized her bags. She walked to the living room and plopped all her things on the floor, near the couch, next to Sasuke's.

"I'll call Hinata and the others to see if they are done packing." Sakura said to Sasuke who was reading.

He nodded in response.

Sakura went in her room and called Hinata first. "Hey, Hinata-chan! Good morning!"

"G-Good morning, Sakura-chan."

"I just wanted to check if you guys were ready or not to leave in about…10 minutes?" Sakura said.

"I-I am and K-Kiba-kun is just packing some last-minute things." Hinata answered.

"Oh, okay. Come down to my room when you're both ready."

Hinata said, "Okay."

And they both hung up.

Next, Sakura called Ino. "Good morning, Ino-pig!"

"Good morning, Forehead-chan."

"Just wanted to see if you and Shikamaru were ready." Sakura said.

"I am just double-checking to see if I have everything and Shikamaru...that idiot...he started packing, then he said it was too troublesome to and fell asleep, leaving me to pack his things! I am _so_ going to kill that lazy-ass!" Ino grumbled.

Sakura laughed at her friend's expense, "Okay. Wake him up and come down to my room as soon as you can."

"Sure. But it might take me a while since lazy-ass is almost impossible to wake up."

Sakura laughed, "Just punch him really hard or say that Temari is going out with someone else."

"Okay! Thanks!"

Then they both hung up.

Sakura called Tenten next who said that Neji and her were both ready, so Sakura told them to come to her room.

Sakura called Temari last who said the same thing as Tenten so Sakura replied with the same response.

In the next 15 minutes, all of them were there and they were ready to leave.

They all walked outside to the parking lot. Sasuke, Neji and Kiba all had a car so the 12 people decided to go in groups of 4. **(A/N: Just to let you know, Gaara and Kankuro are still there, because if Temari is not going home, they aren't either since they are related, so just to make that clear.)**

"THIS IS YOUR CAR?!" Sakura screeched when she saw Sasuke's black ferrari.

Sasuke nodded.

"OH MY GOSH! My parents would never let me have a car! They think it's too dangerous! How do you afford this?!"

Sasuke shrugged, "My parent's company was successful so I inherited all the money."

"LUCKY! Can I ride in it with you, please?!" Sakura pleaded.

"Sure."

"YES!" She jumped up and pumped her fist in the air, grinning like she had just won a marathon.

Sasuke shook his head and smirked at his girlfriend and her actions.

In Sasuke's car, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata went. Ino, Kiba, Gaara and Kankuro went in Kiba's car. And Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru and Temari went in Neji's car.

Sakura was sitting in the passenger's seat in Sasuke's car looking around the car at everything excitedly and squealing when she found a new button that did something.

Sasuke smirked at her reaction and suddenly got an idea. **(A/N: You will find out what that 'idea' is later on.)**

Naruto had fallen asleep on Hinata's lap with Hinata stroking his hair, weaving her fingers through it. When she momentarily stopped, he shifted a bit, missing the soothing feeling from before and whined a bit. Hinata giggled and continued stroking his hair. Naruto smiled satisfied and snuggled closer to her.

In Kiba's car, Ino was sitting in the front talking to Kiba. Gaara and Kankuro were in the back. Kankuro was teasing Kiba about Ino, with Ino retaliating by telling him to shut up and Kiba blushing and glaring at him. Gaara stayed quiet most of the time.

In Neji's car, Shikamaru was in the back with Temari while Neji was driving and Tenten was sitting in the passenger's seat. Neji and Tenten were talking to each other quietly with a loud or exaggerated comment from Tenten once in a while. Shikamaru was asleep on Temari while she was poking him, trying to get him awake and to get off of her, to no avail. She finally left him alone and opted for staring out the window. Shikamaru poked open an eye to see that she had finally left him alone and made himself comfortable in her lap.

About 3 hours later, they all reached Sakura's ski resort.

"FINALLY!" Naruto exclaimed. "WE'RE HERE!"

Everyone else gaped at the resort. There was a huge main cabin for checking in and shops. Then about 100 more large cabins were scattered around it, each a good distance from the other. The skiing mountains were ahead in the distance with many people having fun on them, with the ski lifts near it.

They went into the main building and Sakura exclaimed, "Yoko-chan!" She ran up to a woman, around the age of 20 who had brown, curly hair that spilled over her shoulders and green eyes.

She turned and once she spotted Sakura, she yelled, "Saku-chan!"

They both hugged.

"How have you been? It's been so long." Sakura asked when they released each other.

"I know! I've been great! And how about you?" Yoko asked.

"Awesome." Sakura then turned and motioned for her friends to come over, "These are my friends from the school I go to."

They all introduced themselves and Yoko smiled and said, "I am Yoko and I have known Saku-chan here since she was little." She patted Sakura's head, "So, how many cabins do you want?"

"Um…I don't know." Sakura turned to her friends, "Guys?"

They all shrugged.

"Can we have the large one, that my family used to use, so that we can all fit in there?" Sakura asked.

Yoko smiled, "Of course." She then went to the desk and looked for a key which she handed to Sakura, "Here you go."

"Thanks, Yoko-chan!" Sakura said.

Yoko smiled in response.

Sakura and her friends were about to leave when Yoko pulled Sakura back, "So? Are any of those cute boys your boyfriend?"

Sakura nodded, blushing, "Sasuke."

"The one with the black hair and eyes?" Yoko asked.

Sakura nodded in confirmation.

Yoko squealed, "Oh my gosh! Really?! He was like the cutest!"

"Hey! He's taken!" Sakura warned jokingly.

"I know that! But, I still think Shiro is cuter!" Yoko defended.

"Who?"

"I didn't tell you? My boyfriend!" She whipped out her phone and scrolled through her pictures until she found one of them both, "See?"

Shiro had black hair, blue eyes and a friendly smile on his face that made you want to know him. In the picture, Yoko and Shiro were both smiling, with tints of red on their noses and ears, from the cold. Shiro had an arm wrapped around Yoko's waist while she leaned on him slightly. In the distance was a huge, lit up christmas tree and snow was falling around them.

"Awwww." Sakura cooed, looking at the couple.

"I know!" She put her phone away, "But you should catch up to your friends, they're waiting."

Sakura nodded, "See you later, Yoko-chan!" She waved to her and ran to catch up with her friends.

"Sorry, guys." Sakura said when she reached her friends. "Okay, let's go." She lead the way to the biggest cabin in the entire resort.

"Wow." Temari and Tenten said when they went inside.

It had 3 bathrooms, 6 rooms, a kitchen, living room and dining room.

"Okay, since it is already like 3:00, let's just stay here for the rest of the day, unpack and we can go see what there is to do." Sakura suggested.

Everyone agreed.

"What are sleeping arrangements?" Tenten asked.

"I'm not sleeping in the same room as Naruto." All the boys except Naruto said in unison.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, "Fine! I don't want to stay in a room with any of you! I'll stay with Hinata-chan!" He said, hugging Hinata tightly who was blushing.

Neji was about to protest when Tenten stomped on his foot, giving him a knowing look.

"There are 6 rooms, so we should go in pairs." Sakura said, "So Naruto and Hinata are in one. What about the others?"

"Tem and I will go in one." Ino said.

Temari nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then Tenten. You and me will be one. Sasuke and Neji can share another one. Shikamaru and Kiba can be in one and Kankuro and Gaara are in the last one. Is that okay for everyone?" Sakura said.

Everyone nodded, said "yes" or didn't say anything at all. Sakura and Tenten went into their room and unpacked in the large closet. Once they were done, they decided to go to the living room to wait for the others.

Sasuke and Neji were already there, sitting and talking quietly. When Tenten noticed Neji, she ran over to him and started talking to him.

Sakura sat next to Sasuke, "Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm glad I will be able to spend New Year's with you." Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded in agreement and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "Me too, _Saku-chan._" He mocked.

Sakura blushed, "That was my childhood nickname and Yoko-chan still calls me it."

"May I call you that as well?"

Sakura blushed more, "No!"

"Then I'll settle for Sak. Okay?"

Sakura nodded shyly in agreement.

He was about to kiss her when Sakura said, "B-But Sasuke, t-the others, t-they'll...know."

"I really don't care." Sasuke replied. Then, he kissed her roughly.

They stopped when they heard a loud gasp and a voice saying, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Sasuke sighed and rested his forehead on Sakura's shoulder. It seemed like their peace together was always ruined.

"YOU'RE TOGETHER NOW?!" Temari, Tenten, Ino, Kiba, Naruto and Kankuro screeched.

Sakura blushed and nudged Sasuke, "Yes."

Sasuke smirked in response.

By now, everyone was in the living room and were shocked that Sasuke and Sakura were actually together.

"Woah, so the teme actually got a girlfriend...I would have thought he would grow up to be asexual." Naruto said.

"You better shut the hell up, dobe." Sasuke said darkly.

Naruto laughed nervously and hid behind Hinata.

"And yes, we are together." Sasuke said, putting one arm around her waist and pressing her to his side, "Got a problem?"

Most people just shook their heads dumbly or said nothing at all.

Sasuke smirked.

"Okay…now that that's settled, what's the plan for the rest of the week?" Kiba asked.

"Um...well, obviously skiing. But for other activities, I am not too sure, so I am going to go to the main desk and see." Sakura said.

"I'll come with you." Sasuke spoke up.

Sakura nodded and as she was getting her shoes on, Temari, Tenten, Ino and Hinata went up to Sasuke.

"We're her best friends, let's just say that if you hurt her or break her heart, we'll break your face." Temari said, in a sickly sweet tone.

The rest nodded, but Hinata felt bad for him. She knew how hard Temari, Tenten and Ino's punches were and she did not want any of her friends to endure that.

"Uh...sure." Sasuke said, a bit scared.

"Great!" Ino said cheerily.

Then they all left, leaving Sasuke to think over what they said. Shaking his head, he put his shoes and coat on and left, following Sakura.

"What did they say to you?" Sakura said, referring to her friends.

"Nothing important." Sasuke answered, intertwining their fingers.

Sakura looked at him, squinting her eyes to see if she could figure out if anything was wrong. Noticing nothing, she shrugged and held on to his hand tighter.

They both went to the main building and asked Yoko what other activities were available.

Yoko answered by saying there were sledding, snowboarding, snow tubing, ice skating, etc.

When Sasuke and Sakura went back to their cabin, the relayed this to everyone and they all made a general list of what they were going to do.

Soon, it was time to make dinner, so Sakura and Hinata made ramen for everyone, making Naruto extremely happen.

"Wow, Hinata-chan! You can and Sakura-chan can really cook!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura smiled while Hinata blushed. "I-It was mostly Sakura-chan."

Sakura elbowed Hinata, "Psh. You did almost everything."

Hinata blushed when Naruto started babbling on and on how great of a cook Hinata was.

All of her friends laughed, seeing her face.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Sakura said to Tenten who just nodded in response.

Sakura went to the bathroom and opened the door, to see Sasuke, shirtless.

"AHHHH!" Sakura covered her bright red face with her eyes. "OH MY GOSH, I AM SO SORRY!" She shut the door and ran to her room.

"What just happened?" Tenten asked.

Sakura took a deep breath, trying to make the blush on her face go away, "I-I...bathroom…S-Sasuke...no...shirtless."

Tenten tilted her head to the side and stood up, "You went to go take a shower and when you opened the door Sasuke was standing there shirtless?"

Sakura nodded, happy that she didn't have to explain the whole thing to her. There was a benefit to having friends that understood you so much.

Tenten started laughing and fell to the floor, banging her fist on the ground. "Oh...my...gosh! HAHAHAHA!"

"S-Shut up!"

Then someone knocked on the door and Sakura answered it since Tenten was still dying of laughter.

Sakura opened the door and saw the person she least wanted to see, Sasuke. "U-Uh, hi?"

"Hi."

"Um…" Sakura blushed and looked away. Then she stepped out of the room and turned to Sasuke, "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it."

"It's...It's okay." He had a tint of red across his cheeks as well. Sasuke then smirked, "Liked what you saw?"

"Yes." Sakura said without thinking, "I mean, no! NO!" She shook her hands rapidly in front of her, "Not at all!"

Sasuke smirked again and pushed her against the door to her bedroom, "Really now, _Saku-chan_?" He said, leaning close to her.

Sakura blushed and pushed him away, "S-Shut up." Then she ran to the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower."

Sasuke nodded and sat on one of the couches. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Hey...Hey...Hey!" He heard someone call. He opened his eyes to Sakura in front of him, poking him, her hair damp. "You shouldn't fall asleep on the couch, you know, _Sasu-chan._"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, "What did you call me?"

"Sasu-chan!" She chirped. Then she giggled and shrugged, "Payback for calling me Saku-chan." Then she gasped, "Or would you like neko-chan better?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched some more, "And why would you call me a cat?"

Sakura shrugged, "You remind me of a cat."

"And you remind me of an idiot."

Sakura slapped his shoulder, "Meanie."

Sasuke smirked and leaned close, closing the gaps between their lips. He pulled back as soon as he came, "Am I a meanie now?"

Sakura giggled, "No." Then she yawned, "But I am really tired, so I am going to sleep."

"Okay." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura said "good night" and went to sleep, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**AWKWARD! But, meh, whatever. REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12: Happy Birthday, Hinata!

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**ZOMG, I got 3 reviews last chapter! I am really happy! THANK YOU! **

* * *

Chapter 12:

"Pssst!" Sakura called, "Tenten!" She shook her friend harshly, "Get up! We need to decorate for Hinata-chan's birthday!" It was currently 5:00 in the morning and all the girls were decorating the living room for Hinata's birthday, which was that day, December 27.

Tenten groaned and rolled over, "Meeeeeehhhhh."

Sakura sighed and decided she was going to have to use the last resort, "Tenten, I'll make you wear a skirt if you don't get up."

Tenten shot out of her bed when she heard this, almost colliding heads with Sakura if Sakura hadn't moved away quickly enough.

"Thank you! Now get up!" Sakura said in relief.

"Ugh, fine." Tenten rolled out of bed and put on slippers.

Sakura grabbed the bag full of decorations and gifts and opened the door slowly and quietly, trying not to wake anyone.

Then, Tenten and Sakura went to Ino and Temari's room to retrieve them both.

Sakura softly knocked on their door and entered, "Temari! Ino!" She whispered, "Get up! We need to decorate the living room for Hinata-chan's birthday!"

Ino got up right away, ready to start "beautifying" everything as she put it, but Temari had the same reaction as Tenten. Temari and Tenten were the hardest out of the group of girls to get up.

"Temari!" Sakura shook her, "Dude! Get up!"

"Go away." Temari moaned, waving her arm, trying to slap away whoever was disrupting her wonderful sleep, failing at it.

"Temari! I'll make you a wear a skirt along with Tenten!" Sakura said.

Temari snapped her eyes open and said, "What?!"

Tenten whined, "Why am I dragged into this?! I woke up, didn't I?!"

Sakura sighed, "Shut up, both of you! And let's go to the living room so we can decorate it for Hinata-chan's birthday!" She repeated again.

"Fine. Fine." Temari grumbled.

Once they were all in the living room, they started decorating.

Tenten laid all the gifts and cards on the coffee table which was situated in the middle of the living room. Sakura hung up one "Happy Birthday" banner on a wall while Temari put another one above the door. Ino hung streamers everywhere. Then, they blew up balloons and stuck them everywhere, leaving some on the ground.

Around 6:00, they were done with the decorating. Then, Sakura and Ino made a cake which was vanilla and strawberry flavored because those were Hinata's favorite flavors. Temari and Tenten, who were not such great bakers, helped with decorating it instead.

At around 8:00, Sakura and the others woke up everyone else and told them to come to Hinata's room. When they reached her and Naruto's room, they knocked slightly just to warn her that they were coming in if she was already awake and Sakura opened the door.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone screamed.

But they got no response, seeing that Naruto and Hinata were still sleeping. Naruto was glomping Hinata in his sleep, holding her tightly to him while her hands were resting on his chest.

Everyone raised their eyebrows at the two and Ino whispered, "Should we leave?"

"Nahhh, I'll just kick Naruto awake and then that will wake up Hinata when he starts screaming." Temari said.

Temari went quietly into the room and screamed, "WAKE UP!" in Naruto's ear before kicking him in the butt, harshly.

Naruto's eyes shot open, "WHAT THE HELL WAS-" He stopped screaming when he saw Hinata was in his arms, waking up .

Hinata yawned cutely and rubbed her eyes with her left arm, "N-Naruto-kun?"

He blushed, "Uh...hi."

Hinata blushed at how close they were and then hastily got up, to notice everyone else at the doorway.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all screamed again.

"U-Uh…" She blushed harder, "T-Thank you."

Everyone went to the living room and Naruto said to Temari, "Why the hell did you kick me?"

Temari shrugged, "It was to get you up. Besides, it worked didn't it?" She grinned and pranced away, leaving Naruto grumbling about how he needed ramen.

"O-Oh my...Guys, y-you didn't have to do all of this." Hinata said when she saw the living room.

Sakura linked arms with Hinata, "Of course we need to, it's your 16th birthday and we need to make it special!"

Hinata laughed, "It's already special enough." She said, glancing at all her friends and then at Naruto who was fidgeting with his shirt and blushing a little. _What's wrong with Naruto-kun?_

Temari brought the cake out and set it on the table. After everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Hinata, she made a wish and everyone clapped.

After everyone had some cake, Sakura screamed, "PRESENT TIME!"

Hinata blushed, "Y-You didn't have to get me anything."

Sakura looked at Hinata with a knowing look, "Hinata-chan, stop being sweet for just one time."

This made Hinata blush more.

Hinata then after much threatening from Sakura, opened her presents. She first opened Tenten's who had gotten her snowflake earrings. Temari had gotten Hinata a paint and brush set. From Ino, Hinata got a drawing pad and briefcase-like box filled with all different art supplies. Hinata then opened Sakura's gifts. She got a leather notebook to write in and an expensive fountain pen from Sakura.

Hinata smiled and repeatedly said "thank you" to her friends, hugging each of them tightly. _I am so lucky to have such great friends who do all of this for me. _

"A-Ahem," A voice said behind her, clearing their throat, "Um, H-Hinata-chan." Naruto said from behind Hinata. He was blushing and he held out a scrapbook, "Um...Here."

Hinata smiled brightly and took the item from him. Opening it, she found pictures of her and Naruto. Hinata stared at them in awe.

There was the one from the movies, the same one in her locket which she still wore. Some of them were of them at the dining hall, where Naruto and Hinata were eating together. There were also some at the roller skating rink where Hinata was holding on to Naruto's hand like her life depended on it, but they were both laughing. There were a couple of photos of their late night study sessions where Naruto and Hinata had fallen asleep a couple of times and Kiba took their pictures for fun. There were photos from some of their dates, where they were both smiling. Some were just of Hinata that Naruto had taken when they were out together, like under a cherry blossom tree, sitting on a bench, but Naruto's favorite one was when Hinata turned around to look at Naruto who took a picture of her. She was smiling widely and her eyes were closed. There were also photos from that snow day and the Christmas Ball which Naruto had recently put in.

Hinata started tearing up, looking at all the pictures and never believing that Naruto would do this for her.

She looked up at him, who was avoiding her gaze, still blushing. Hinata set the book on the couch carefully and tackled Naruto in a tight hug. He was surprised, but soon recovered and hugged her back.

"Happy Birthday, Hinata-chan." He whispered to her.

Hinata laughed, "Thank you." She looked in his eyes and smiled brightly, "Thank you so much."

Naruto smirked, "You're welcome." Then he kissed her, right in front of everyone.

Kiba and Kankuro childishly "oohed" making them tear apart, blushing.

Ino and Temari both punched them for ruining the moment.

"Okay! Now, since it's your birthday, we are going to do anything you want!" Sakura stated.

Hinata waved her hands in front of her, "O-Oh, no. I would like everyone to do what they like."

"Hinata-chan!" All the girls warned, "It's your birthday!"

"S-Still! T-That's what I would like." She got a sly, but shy smile on her face that was unusual for her, "You said that since it's my birthday, you will do a-anything I want, so I would like everyone to enjoy themselves by doing what they please, not only what I like." She said.

All the girls smacked their foreheads.

"We should have thought of that before." Tenten muttered.

"Yeah…" Temari agreed.

Sakura sighed, "Ugh, fine! If that's what you want!" She surrendered.

"Y-Yes." Hinata said, smiling.

Temari muttered to Tenten "What are we going to do with her?"

Tenten shrugged in response.

"Okay!" Kiba said, "Ino! Let's go skiing!" He ran outside, expecting Ino to come along, but she didn't.

Ino smacked her forehead again, "One...two...three." She muttered.

He came back right after she said three, "I forgot to get dressed properly."

"Yeah!" Ino said, "Now go and get changed!"

"O-Okay." Kiba said, slightly afraid of her.

Then Ino turned to Hinata, "Okay, Hinata-chan. Well apparently, I'm going skiing. Anyone else want to come?"

In the end, Kiba, Ino, Kankuro, Gaara, Temari and Shikamaru, who reluctantly agreed because Temari forced Shikamaru to go, were all going skiing. They all changed into warmer clothes and head out to the ski lifts.

Neji and Tenten decided to go snowboarding together.

"Where do you want to go?" Sakura asked Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto. They were all alone in their cabin since everyone had left already.

Sasuke shrugged, "Wherever you want."

Naruto gasped, "CAN WE GO SLEDDING?!"

"Sure!" Sakura smiled.

Hinata nodded and Sasuke shrugged.

They all got dressed and head to where they could rent a sled. They rented two sleds and found a tall hill that was mostly empty of people.

"LET'S RACE!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Fine, but don't be crying when your dead-last butt gets kicked." Sasuke said.

Sakura punched him on the arm and said, "Okay! Hinata-chan, you can go with Naruto and I'll go with Sasuke."

Hinata nodded.

"WAIT!" Naruto exclaimed, "We should make this more interesting!"

"What do you mean, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

He smiled evilly, "Let's make a bet. Losing team has to treat the others to the cafe."

Sasuke smirked, "Fine."

"Okay!" Naruto said.

Hinata and Sakura got on their sleds and Naruto and Sasuke stood behind them. Both of the boys ran, pushing the sled and then jumped on at the last second, wrapping their arms around their girlfriends.

Hinata and Sakura both screamed loudly when the sled was airborne, but then started laughing when it started falling.

When it touched the ground, Sasuke and Sakura's sled slid more than Naruto's did, landing a good 4 feet in front of Naruto and Hinata's.

Naruto pouted, "Best two out of three?"

Sasuke smirked again, "No matter how many times we do this, I'll still win."

Naruto made a face at Sasuke and they all climbed up the hill, starting again.

"One...two….three!" Naruto said.

Sasuke and him both pushed the sleds once again and hopped on. This time their sleds tied.

"Oh, dang it! Okay, one more time! Whoever wins that one, wins!" Naruto said.

They did the same routine, but once again the sleds tied.

"UGH! ONE LAST TIME!" Naruto yelled.

This time, Sasuke and Sakura's sled reached farther than Naruto's. Sakura threw her arms around Sasuke, "We won, Sasuke!"

He slipped an around her waist and smirked at Naruto, "Told you."

Naruto cried dramatically once again, with Hinata calming him down. She giggled at her boyfriend's behavior.

"N-Naruto-kun, it's okay." Hinata reassured him.

Naruto pouted once again and looked away, "No, it's not! I wanted to win for your birthday!"

Hinata giggled and Naruto glanced at her, "Being here with everyone, being here with _you_, is all I want."

Naruto blushed and said, "I still feel bad."

Hinata laughed and kissed his cheek, "Don't be."

Naruto turned towards Hinata and gaped, "So you're not mad at me?"

Hinata shook her head, "I could never be, Naruto-kun." She smiled at him.

Naruto's heartbeat grew faster and he hugged Hinata tightly before pulling back and giving her a soft and sweet kiss.

"Awww." Sakura cooed, her hands clasped together. "You guys are just so cute!"

They both blushed.

"Wow, I have a habit for ruining cute moments." Sakura muttered, "But, anyway...let's go to the cafe!"

Sasuke and Naruto returned the sleds and then all 4 of them walked to the cafe.

"I'll pay for everyone, Hinata-chan. It's your birthday so I don't you to spend any money." Naruto said.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata started, "You don't have to-"

Naruto smiled, "Hinata-chan, it's fine. Seriously."

Hinata nodded and smiled at him too.

* * *

**~ Neji &amp; Tenten ~ **

"Come on, Neji!" Tenten said, "You're too slow!" She teased.

Neji grumbled, "I'm coming. I'm coming." When he reached Tenten, they both raced to see who could snowboard the fastest.

Tenten pointed at Neji when they reached the bottom of the hill, "Hah! I win again!"

"You only won twice, while I won four times." Neji smirked.

Tenten pouted, "Oh, be quiet!"

Neji smirked again and went behind Tenten. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Want to race again?"

Tenten smiled, turning around in his embrace, "Definitely." She said, putting her arms around his neck.

She pulled down his head and raised hers, touching their lips together. She pulled away quickly and said, "Race you to the top!"

Neji was left there stunned. He shook his head at her, then chased after his girlfriend.

* * *

**~ Shikamaru &amp; Temari ~ **

"Shikamaru! Everyone else is already near the bottom! Hurry up!" Temari said to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru muttered, "It's too troublesome."

Temari glared at him.

"Fine. Fine." He surrendered.

They both started skiing down the hill when Temari lost her grip on one of her skiing sticks and was going to crash into Shikamaru. Shikamaru sighed and, thinking how it is was too troublesome to move, let Temari collide into him, sending them both to the ground.

"Heh." Shikamaru smirked, "We have been in situations like this too many times."

Temari was on top of him and they were buried in the snow.

"Shut up." Temari said.

"Would you get off of me now? It's too troublesome to push you off." Shikamaru said.

Temari laughed, "Is this troublesome as well?" She lowered her lips to his. When she pulled away, Shikamaru's eyes were wide but they quickly went back to looking at Temari lazily.

He smirked at her tiredly, "No. Not at all."

Temari rolled her eyes, got off of him and helped him stand up. Then, they went down the hill together.

* * *

**~ Kiba &amp; Ino ~**

"K-Kiba-kun!" Ino screeched, "I am going to die!"

Kiba laughed, "You're not going to die, Ino."

"Yeah, I'll die when I go tumbling down this hill, crashing into Gaara and Kankuro who are in front of us and then being crushed at the bottom!" Ino shrieked.

Kiba smiled at her, "I'm not going to let that happen. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Ino blushed, "Yeah, I know."

"Then stop worrying." Kiba reassured.

They reached the bottom without dying and Ino hugged Kiba in a bone-crushing bear hug, "I DIDN'T DIE!"

Kiba slipped his arms around her waist, "Yeah. I know."

Ino kissed his cheek, "Thanks. For being there, just in case."

Kiba blushed and boldly kissed Ino's lips, "You're welcome."

"Um...If you guys are done with um...that...Can we go to the bigger hill?" Kankuro asked, ruining the moment.

This earned him two glares and he put his hands up defensively, "S-Sorry." He hid behind Gaara who just rolled his eyes.

* * *

**~ Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke &amp; Sakura ~**

After everyone warmed up with hot chocolate, Sakura suggested they go ice skating.

Everyone agreed and they traded their snow boots for ice skates and set off.

Sakura went with Sasuke, while Hinata started to teach Naruto, who was terrible.

"Ahh!" Sakura screamed as she almost fell, luckily Sasuke caught her before she could. "T-Thanks."

"Hn." He smirked, "Still a klutz, huh?"

Sakura blushed, "S-Shut up! As far as I can remember, you're still an ass!"

Sasuke smirked at her and she shook her head at him before smiling.

Sasuke held out his hand to Sakura who took it after looking at him skeptically.

They both skated together, keeping each other up.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said, "You have to step, step and then glide."

"Oh! I thought it was the other way around!" He turned to her, "Thanks, Hinata-chan!"

His smile made Hinata blush.

Because Naruto was not looking where he was going, too caught up in staring at Hinata's blushing, angelic face, he crashed into the fence on the sides, sending him to the ground, taking Hinata down with him. Hinata twisted, trying to get her balance, but failed and fell down anyway.

They both laughed and Naruto shakily got up first. Once he steadied himself, he held out a hand to Hinata who took it. She tried getting up but then she fell back down instantly, letting out a cry of pain, clutching her right ankle.

"H-Hinata-chan! Are you okay?!" Naruto asked, crouching down.

Hinata could feel tears collecting in her eyes but she nodded her head slightly, "Y-Yes, I'm fine."

She didn't know if she was because she couldn't even feel her ankle. Hoping it was just the cold, she tried to get up with Naruto's help, but started to fall. Naruto caught her and she said, "I-I might have sprained my ankle."

Naruto's face contorted, "Damn. Okay...um...I'll carry you back to the cabin and we'll see what we can do." He looked around for Sasuke and Sakura, "Sasuke! Sakura-chan!" He waved them over and Sasuke knew something was wrong because Naruto hadn't called him a "teme" and the worry in Naruto's voice was evident.

"What happ-" Sakura started to ask, but then she saw Hinata, "Oh my gosh! Hinata-chan!" She skated over to her and asked, "What happened?"

"Um…well." Naruto started.

Sakura waved her hand, "You know what? Tell me later. I need to inspect this to make sure it isn't something serious." Naruto slung Hinata's arm around his shoulder, while Sasuke mimicked him, putting Hinata's other arm over his shoulder. They both carried Hinata outside of the rink and put her on the bench. Everyone replaced their skates with shoes and Sasuke and Sakura went to go return the skates.

Naruto immediately put Hinata on his back.

Hinata blushed, "N-Naruto-kun. I-I can try to walk. I-I don't want you to have any trouble because of me." Hinata said to Naruto.

Naruto smiled slightly up at her, "Even when you're hurt, you worry about others. Just let me carry you, Hinata-chan."

Not giving her a chance to say anything, he started walking to their cabin, Sasuke and Sakura walking behind.

Once they reached their cabin, Sasuke called everyone to let them know where they were and to not worry. Naruto laid Hinata down on the bed in their room. Sakura propped Hinata's leg up on a couple of pillows and yelled out things to get to Naruto who got them for her hurriedly.

Sakura inspected Hinata's ankle, seeing some bruises. She put some ointment on them and bandaged Hinata's ankle. Then, she told Hinata to rest. Hinata, who suddenly felt really tired, fell asleep instantly.

Sakura then went over to Naruto who was sitting at the dining table. She sat down next to Naruto who had his head down on the table, on top of his folded hands.

"It's all my fault. If I had been looking where I was going, she wouldn't have gotten hurt." He said, his voice breaking.

Sakura patted his back, "We're lucky it's only a sprain, it could have been worse. She won't need crutches, but she'll need a brace which Sasuke just went to get and unfortunately," She trailed off, but then spoke again, "she won't be able to do anything like skiing this break."

Naruto's head shot up, "What?! How will she be able to enjoy this vacation then?!"

Sakura shook her head, looking away from his saddened face, "I'm not happy about it either, but if you want her to heal properly, she can't do anything like that."

Naruto's eyes collected tears and he hung his head, his bangs covering his eyes. He didn't want to let Sakura see his tears, but she still could.

Sakura brought him into a hug and he hugged her back, "I feel so terrible." He muttered.

She rubbed his back, "You shouldn't. Anything could have happened like this."

"I know, but still. It's all my fault." He mumbled against Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura looked away, she didn't know what to say.

Sasuke had come back with a leg brace for Hinata, so Sakura, who left Naruto alone for a minute, went to put it on. Sakura managed to put it on Hinata without waking her up.

When Naruto had stopped crying and Sakura had left their room, he went into his and Hinata's room and sat down on the chair next to the bed that Hinata was laying on. Naruto took one of Hinata's small and delicate hands into his bigger one. He used his other hand to brush away the stray hair on her face and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered to her.

Sakura who was watching this, sniffled and hugged Sasuke, burying her face in his shirt to not let him see that she was crying. Hinata was her best friend and she wanted Hinata to be able to enjoy break, especially when it was her birthday today.

_Life is so unfair._ Naruto and Sakura both thought solemnly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I love Hinata, but life is just like that...unfair. Sorry...My friend was so sad because she absolutely adores Hinata and was like "NOOOOOOOOO!" so yeah. Hehe, but hopefully things will get better!**


	13. Chapter 13: Truth or Dare?: Part 2

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**I HIT 21 REVIEWS! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I JUMPED UP AND DOWN, SCREAMED AND SQUEALED! TO THE POINT WHERE MY MOM TOLD ME TO SHUT UP! LIKE ZOMG, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND COMMENTS! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! THANKS!**

* * *

Chapter 13:

"Hinata-chan!" Tenten, Temari and Ino shouted when they burst through the door to their temporary home.

"Shhhh!" Sakura scolded quietly, "She's sleeping."

The rest of the group came in behind the three girls.

"Oh." Tenten said.

"Can we least see her?" Ino pleaded.

Shikamaru sighed, "You know she just has a sprained ankle, right? It's not like she got a troublesome enough injury that's so serious."

Temari and Ino whipped around to him, "Shut up, Shikamaru!" They scolded in unison.

"Tch. Troublesome women."

"Guys, I don't think that is just a good idea. I mean, Naruto is in there and-" Sakura stopped talking when she noticed Tenten, Temari and Ino were already gone.

She shook her head and turned to the rest of her guy friends, "You guys can come if you want."

Kiba and Neji went to see Hinata as well.

"What happened? Why aren't you going in?" Kiba asked the girls who were standing outside the door watching their friend.

Ino just pointed to the bed where Naruto was looking at Hinata's face, not noticing the rest of his friends, his hand still gripping Hinata's.

He kept repeating, "I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan."

Tenten heard this, "W-What are you sorry for, Naruto?"

Naruto whipped his head around, surprised at the new voice, "Oh, Tenten." He turned back to Hinata, "I-It's nothing."

"Of course it's something, why would you apologize just like that?" Ino said.

Naruto started to shake, "I-It's…It's nothing! I told you!"

Sakura, who heard all of this, went inside the room, "Naruto. It's not your fault."

Naruto looked at Sakura, "Y-Yes, it is."

Sakura sighed.

Neji spoke up, "What happened to Hinata-sama? How did she get hurt?"'

"I-I," Naruto started, "I-I did this...to her…"

Neji's eyes darkened and he marched to Naruto, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall, "What?! You mean to say that you physically _touched_ Hinata-sama and that is why she is in this condition?!"

Naruto couldn't speak, he looked down at the ground. It _was_ partially true anyway.

"Neji-kun!" Tenten screamed, "Put Naruto down and let him explain!"

Neji's glare softened as he looked at Tenten and he roughly let Naruto go. Naruto slid to the ground and he refused to meet anyone's gaze.

"Explain, Naruto!" Neji said.

"I…Sasuke, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and I all went to go ice skating. I…fell down and since Hinata-chan was next to me, she fell down too, but….she sprained her ankle in the process." He brought his knees up and folded his arms on top of them, resting his head down, "I-I know. This is my fault. B-Because of me...Hinata-chan won't be able to enjoy her vacation or her birthday now." He shook again, "I-I'm sorry."

"N-Naruto-kun," A feeble voice said. Everyone looked at Hinata, who had woken up because of all the noise, "I-It's not your fault. I wasn't paying attention either."

"H-Hinata-chan!" Naruto said, he stood up and went over to her.

Sakura shooed everyone out so that the two of them could talk.

Naruto sighed, "I…I'm so...I'm so sorry. I was stupid and not paying attention and-"

Hinata grabbed his hand, "Naruto-kun, stop. It wasn't your fault, okay? So...stop apologizing and please smile. I love your smile and I always want to see you like that."

Naruto smiled a bit, "Hinata-chan."

"There you go." She said, poking him in the stomach.

Naruto's smile got wider and Hinata blushed. With some difficulty, she managed to hug him. Naruto sat down the bed to make it easier for her and allowed his arms to wrap her small frame.

Hinata kissed Naruto's cheek and he blushed before kissing her's.

Tenten's head popped in the doorway, "Are you guys done?"

Temari's head came above her, "Can we come in?"

Hinata and Naruto blushed, tearing away from each other and then nodded.

Tenten and Temari pranced in, followed by everyone else.

"How are you feeling, Hinata-chan? Do you have any pain?" Sakura asked.

Hinata shrugged, "A-A bit, but it's fine."

"I'll leave so that you girls can catch up with...whatever you girls talk about." Naruto said, taking his arm off from around Hinata.

He and the rest of the boys walked out.

"You know, I still don't forgive you for doing that to Hinata-sama." Neji said, still glaring at Naruto.

"You make it seem like I violated her. I know that her injury is my fault, but I care for her a lot, Neji."

Neji crossed his arms and sat down on the couch, "Tch. You just better not hurt her or you'll be getting more than just a sprained ankle."

"G-Got it."

Sasuke smirked, "Dobe."

"Shut up, teme!" Naruto said.

"And he's back to his usual self. Tch, troublesome." Shikamaru stated.

"You shut up too, lazy-ass!" Naruto growled, but he was smiling.

Naruto felt terrible, but after what Hinata said, it felt like a small weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Are you mad at Naruto, Hinata-chan?" Tenten asked.

Hinata shook her head, "Not at all. This is not Naruto-kun's fault and even if it was, I wouldn't be able to get mad at him."

"Aww!" Ino cooed, clasping her hands in front of her. "You and Naruto were just made for each other!"

Hinata blushed, "I-Ino-chan!" Then she put her fingers over her locket, feeling Naruto's name on it, "But, I believe that too."

All the girls laughed and then a silence came.

"So...What do you want to do now?" Sakura asked.

"Do you want to play 'Truth or Dare?'" Tenten said.

Temari looked at her, "But we already played that though."

Ino smirked, "Not with the boys."

The girls laughed again and then Tenten and Temari helped Hinata get to the living room, where the guys made room for her and the others.

"Do you guys want to play 'Truth or Dare?'" Ino asked the boys.

Most of the boys grumbled while Naruto screamed, "YES!"

"Shut up, dobe. We don't want to play." Sasuke said.

Naruto glared at him, "Well maybe you don't, but I don't just want to sit here and glare at everything like _some_ people do."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Naruto turned to the girls and smiled, "We'll play."

"Yay!" Ino said.

They all formed a circle except for Gaara who didn't want to play and Kankuro who said that he didn't want to either.

"Okay, who goes first?" Tenten asked.

"Hinata-chan should get to pick first since it's her birthday." Sakura stated.

"Um...I don't know what to ask, so Sakura-chan, you can go first." Hinata said.

Sakura sighed, "Okay." She looked around the room, "Naruto! Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Naruto answered confidently.

"Um…" Sakura put her finger on her chin, tapping it, "Oh!" She grinned evilly, "You have to get a makeover...done by Tenten!"

"What?! You mean like with makeup?!"

Sakura nodded, "Yup! And a dress!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed louder than before.

"It's either that or no ramen for a month!" Sakura threatened.

Naruto gasped and then said hopefully, "CAN IT AT LEAST BE A RAMEN DRESS?"

"What the hell is a ramen dress?!"

Naruto shrugged, "You know, a dress made out of ramen!" He said it like it was so obvious.

Sakura smacked her forehead, "We don't have a ramen dress, Naruto!"

Naruto sighed, "Why can't Hinata-chan do it?! I don't trust any one else with my beautiful face."

Sakura sighed, "Oh, be quiet, Naruto. Ino! Give Tenten all your makeup!"

Ino gaped, "What?! I am not having my precious makeup touch Naruto's face!"

Naruto screamed, "Hey! What's wrong with my face?!"

"It's greasy from all the ramen you eat," Ino pointed out.

"IT IS NOT!" Naruto defended himself.

Ino glared at him, "Oh, shut up! Sakura, why can't you give Tenten _yo__ur_ makeup?!"

"Hah! Like I would have makeup!" Sakura snorted.

"I-Ino-chan, Tenten-chan can use my own makeup, i-if you want." Hinata spoke up.

"Thank you!" Ino said.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Okay," She turned to Tenten, "Go in your room and come out when you're done."

"Can I use one of Ino's dresses?" Tenten said hopefully.

Sakura nodded, ignoring Ino who screamed in protest.

Tenten laughed maniacally and grabbed Naruto's collar, "Let's go, Naruto!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! HINATA-CHAN! HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naruto screamed dramatically.

Hinata giggled at her boyfriend's doom.

Right when Tenten closed the door, everyone could hear Tenten's maniacal laugh and Naruto screaming for someone to help him.

Ten minutes later, Tenten flung open the door, "We're done!" She put her hands on her hips and turned around to face the room Naruto was hiding in, "Come out, Naruto!"

"No!" Naruto said.

"I will drag you!" Tenten said.

Naruto clung to the bedpost, "No!" He repeated.

Tenten grinned evilly, "Well that leaves me with no choice then, Naruto!" She grabbed Naruto's foot and ungracefully dragged him out.

Naruto stood up when he reached the living room, crossed his arms and looked away, blushing.

He was wearing Ino's dress that on him, was insanely tight and only reached his thigh. Tenten even made him wear heels and jewelry. His face, though, looked like a clown's face. Since Tenten didn't know how to put on makeup, he looked worse than when she did that to him on the night of the sleepover.

All the girls started laughing hysterically, except for Hinata, who had fainted when she first saw him.

Kiba was laughing just as much as the girls and took a picture of Naruto, while Shikamaru was snickering.

Neji and Sasuke were smirking at their friend's expense.

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" Naruto screamed. He stomped into the bathroom, washed off all the makeup and went to change.

When he sat down, Hinata had woken up, glad to see her boyfriend was again normal, as normal as Naruto could be. The girls and Kiba were still snickering though.

"Shikamaru! Truth or dare?" Naruto said.

He opened his eyes, "I would pick dare, but it's too troublesome to move, so truth."

"Okay, um...Do you _really_ think Temari is troublesome?" Naruto smirked.

Shikamaru blushed slightly and looked away. He leaned back and closed his eyes, "I guess not."

Temari blushed as well because of this and looked at his questioningly.

A silence occurred.

"Shikamaru! You have to ask somebody whether they want truth or dare!" Naruto said.

Shikamaru opened his eyes again and deeply sighed, "It's too troublesome to."

Temari kicked him and he said, "Fine." He sat up, "Ino. Truth or dare?"

Ino thought for a while, "Truth."

"Is Kiba your boyfriend?" Shikamaru said.

Everyone else was interested too, they knew that the two were going out, but they didn't know if they were together.

"U-Um...I guess." Ino blushed.

Kiba nodded slightly and blushed too.

"Um...Neji. Truth or dare?" Ino asked.

Neji looked at her, "Dare."

Ino thought and then said, "You have to smell Naruto's socks."

Neji glared at her, "Can it be anyone else's socks?"

"Nope!" She chirped.

Neji grumbled some inaudible things and then said to Naruto, "Give me your stupid sock, Naruto."

All the girls, Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto were laughing at Neji's dare. Naruto peeled off his sweaty sock and threw it to Neji who caught it with his index finger and thumb.

He held it at arm's length before sighing and sniffing nose wrinkled at the horrific smell and he chucked it back at Naruto. "What the hell do you do that makes your socks that disgusting?!"

Naruto, who was still laughing, shrugged and said, "Anyone else want to smell it?" He offered, holding up his sock.

Everyone shook their heads and he shrugged again.

Once Naruto's sock was back on his foot, Neji said, "Sakura. Truth or dare?"

Sakura sighed, "As much as I am going to regret this, dare."

"Okay." Neji said, "Tomorrow, you have to ski down the highest hill here."

"What?!" She stood up and flailed her arms, "B-But, I am afraid of heights!"

Temari smirked, "You _did_ pick dare."

"Meh." Sakura sat back down and crossed her arms, "Fine!"

"Kiba. Truth or dare?" Sakura asked Kiba.

Kiba sighed, "Dare."

Sakura smiled sadistically, "You have to let Ino paint your nails!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Kiba screamed, "NO! I am _not_ going to paint my nails!"

Sakura shook her head, "You are not painting them, _Ino _is!" She giggled, "_And_, it has to be pink!"

"YES!" Ino screamed, she dragged Kiba into her room while he was screaming, "Nooooo!"

Five minutes later, a flustered looking Kiba and a smiling Ino came out of Ino and Temari's room.

"Kiba-kun! Show everyone your nails!" Ino said.

"No!" Kiba retorted.

Ino grabbed his hand and presented it to everyone.

After the humiliation, Kiba said, "Do you have any removal or whatever?"

"NOPE!" Ino said.

"HUH?! So I am supposed to walk around with my nails painted _PINK_?!"

Tenten waved her hand, "Yeah, but it's fine, pink is a good color on you." She said, making Kiba blush and scowl.

"I really hate all of you." Kiba noted.

"We love you too!" All the girls chorused.

"Temari. Truth or dare?" Kiba asked.

"Dare." Temari replied.

"Um…" Kiba started, "Give a piggyback ride to the player to your left." He said, smirking.

Temari looked to her left and saw Shikamaru. "Aw, damn it. Can it be anyone else?"

"Nope."

"Ugh, fine. Shikamaru! Get up!" Temari yelled.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered, "A girl shouldn't be giving a guy a piggyback ride."

"Well, it isn't my choice!" Temari said back hotly.

"Troublesome." But Shikamaru got on Temari's back, blushing all the while.

"Damn. What do you eat?!" Temari teased, getting up with little difficulty.

Shikamaru scoffed, "What do _you_ eat? You can lift me with no problem."

Temari blushed, "Oh, shut up." She turned to Kiba, "For how long?"

Kiba shrugged, "Make a full two rounds around the living room."

"Fine, fine." Temari huffed. She started to walk when Shikamaru started to fall. "Could you at least wrap your arms around my neck? Or maybe your legs around my waist? It's kind of hard to move like this, you know."

"Troublesome." He looped his two arms her neck and lazily hung his legs around her waist. "Happy?"

"Don't push it." Temari put her hands under his knees to keep him from falling off.

Ino and the rest of the girls started laughing and Ino took pictures of the two, muttering something about blackmail.

After Temari had finished the two rounds, she roughly shook Shikamaru off, which in turn made him fall to the ground harshly.

"OW! You troublesome woman!" Shikamaru said.

Temari just looked at him, "Oh, I'm sorry. I should have dropped you harder." She smirked, "And didn't you answer to Naruto that I _wasn't_ that troublesome?"

Shikamaru blushed and looked away, "Well, you're being troublesome now."

Ino tilted her head to the side and squinting her eyes, observing the two of them and their actions, "Are you two _really_ a couple?"

The two of them glared at her, blushing, effectively making her shut up.

"Sasuke. Truth or dare?" Temari said when she plopped down in her original seat.

"Dare." He said indifferently.

Temari smirked, "Exchange one piece of clothing with the player on your right."

Sakura's eyes widened, _Damn it! I'm the player on his right! CURSE YOU, TEMARI!_ She sent her best glare to Temari, but Sasuke cleared his throat, catching her attention.

"Um…" She said, blushing.

"Which piece of clothing, exactly?" Sasuke asked Temari.

Temari smiled, "I'm going to be nice enough to let you choose."

Sasuke sighed, "Whatever." He pulled his shirt off, revealing his muscles, making Sakura blush hotly. She looked away so she wouldn't oogle. "Here."

Sakura took it from him, went into her room, changed quickly and threw her shirt to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at the shirt and sighed, "Did you have to wear such a shirt today?"

The shirt was lavender colored and had a cupcake on it.

Sakura laughed at his misfortune and nodded.

Sighing again, he tugged the shirt on, making everyone laugh at the sight of _Uchiha Sasuke_ wearing a cupcake shirt.

"How long do you we need to do this?" Sakura asked. She was perfectly fine with Sasuke's black, simple t-shirt that had "Uchiha" written on the back of it in red. Sakura loved the smell of it and she felt comfortable in it.

"The rest of the game." Temari stated, making Sasuke silently seeth.

"Tch. Hinata. Truth or dare?" Sasuke said.

"U-Um...truth."

Sasuke leaned back against the couch, "Okay. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?"

Hinata blushed and fiddled with her hands, "U-Uh, I...I...um...After N-Naruto-kun had asked me to the Christmas Ball on that snow day, when I-I was in my dorm room, I-I…was…" She blushed even more, "D-Dancing around the room, b-because I was so happy…And then…" Kiba started laughing, as if remembering something, "K-Kiba-kun, he…he came into the room and…and saw me."

"KIBA-KUN APOLOGIZE TO HINATA-CHAN RIGHT NOW!" Ino and Naruto said simultaneously. **(A/N: Naruto obviously didn't call Kiba, "Kiba-kun," he called him Kiba, but I didn't want to write another line because I was too lazy.)**

"W-What?! What did I do? Hinata was the one dancing around her room like a lunatic!" Kiba said, still laughing.

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata squeaked, "B-But, it is right." She sighed in embarrassment.

"KIBA! APOLOGIZE!" Naruto said.

"Yeah!" Ino agreed.

"Fine, fine." Kiba turned to Hinata, "I'm sorry that I had to witness your insane dancing."

"KIBA!" Ino and Naruto screeched.

Hinata blushed even more, refusing to look at anyone.

"OKAY! Hinata, I'm truly sorry that I didn't knock before entering your room."

"I-It's okay, Kiba-kun." She replied meekly.

Naruto wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders, "Don't listen to him. And you dance amazingly, no matter what anyone says."

Hinata blushed and leaned into his embrace, snuggling closer to him.

"T-Tenten-chan. Truth or dare?" Hinata said.

"Dare!" She said confidently.

Hinata thought for a moment before smiling sweetly at Tenten, "Tenten-chan, you have to let Ino-chan make you over however she wants."

"HAH!" Naruto screamed, pointing a finger at Tenten, "FEEL MY PAIN!"

"No! Hell, no! Who knows what the hell Ino is going to do me?!" Tenten screamed.

Sakura smirked, "It's part of the dare."

Tenten sighed and then muttered darkly to Ino, "Touch my hair and you die."

Ino smiled, "I'll take the risk, _Panda_-chan."

This made Tenten's eyebrow twitch. Ino got up and dragged Tenten to her own room.

Everyone could hear screams and threats, but ten minutes later, the door flung open and Ino pushed Tenten out first.

Tenten was wearing an insanely short purple dress that was strapless. She had jewelry and accessories everywhere and had makeup on. Her feet were stuffed into high heels and her hair was let down while some of it was pinned up.

"I'm so going to kill Ino." Tenten murmured.

Everyone's reactions were different. The girls all started laughing and Temari took pictures of her, much to Tenten's displeasure. Naruto and Kiba were laughing along with the girls, while Shikamaru thought it was too troublesome to react and decided to fall asleep. Sasuke was indifferent. Neji, however, was trying to control a major nosebleed by looking away, but somehow, his gaze kept drifting back to Tenten.

"CAN I GO AND CHANGE NOW?!" Tenten screamed, blushing.

Ino and the girls nodded, leaving Tenten to storm off, coming back a while later, hair in the normal twin buns and in her previous outfit.

"Well," Ino said, wiping a tear from her eyes that had formed from laughing too much, "That was an interesting game of truth or dare."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "It sure was."

Shikamaru yawned, "I guess, but it was too troublesome and now I'm tired."

Temari whacked him, "When are you _not_ tired?!"

Shikamaru just shrugged and fell asleep again.

Hinata who was also feeling sleepy, laid her head back on Naruto's lap, closing her eyes, intending not to fall asleep, but with the comfort of Naruto's fingers playing with her hair, she did a few minutes later.

After a while, everyone was ready to go to sleep.

"Oi!" Temari said, shaking Shikamaru, "Get up! Go to sleep in your own room!"

Shikamaru didn't even stir.

Sighing, Temari slung one of his arms around her shoulders and half carried and half dragged him to his room. She dropped him on his bed before going to her own room to try and fall asleep.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto said. Hinata had yet to get up from where she had fallen asleep on Naruto's lap. _She must be really tired from today._ Naruto thought.

He shifted a bit and lifted Hinata up, tucking one arm under her knees and the other under her back. Then, he carried Hinata to their room and carefully tucked her in the single, large bed, falling asleep next to her.

Sakura and Sasuke were the only ones left in the living room, cleaning up all the drinks and everything that had been used by everyone else.

When they were done, they both sat on the couch.

Sasuke pulled off Sakura's shirt and handed it to her, leaving him shirtless, yet again.

Sakura looked at his chest and his abs, but then jolted out of her daze when Sasuke said, "Sak?"

Sakura blushed, "Y-Yeah?"

Sasuke smirked, "Can I have my shirt back?" He said, motioning to the shirt that was still on Sakura.

Sakura shook her head, "No." She smiled, "It's warm and comforting."

"Really?" Sasuke smirked and leaned closer, "You can keep it if you want."

Sakura nodded, "Okay."

Sasuke hugged her to him and she snuggled closer, loving the feeling of being in his arms.

Sakura instantly fell asleep and once Sasuke noticed this, he smirked. He lifted her up, similarly the way Naruto had to Hinata and carried Sakura back to her and Tenten's room, tucking her in.

He caressed her cheek and Sakura unconsciously leaned into it, while smiling, making him smirk.

After he made sure that she was tucked in and fast asleep, he went to the door, taking one last look at her and saying a soft "goodnight" before closing the door and going to his own room to fall asleep as well.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**THAT WAS AN INTERESTING TRUTH OR DARE PART 2! Please review, it means so much! Thanks! BYE!**


	14. Chapter 14: Falling For Him, Literally

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**I know I literally _just _uploaded Chapter 13, but I think I am going to start uploading 2 chapters per week now because I really want to finish "Melting the Human Ice Cube" before school starts in September because then, I won't have any time. **

* * *

Chapter 14:

The rest of the winter break passed by quickly. Sakura had successfully completed Neji's dare the day after they all played "Truth or Dare?" Hinata still couldn't do anything like skiing, but Naruto didn't do anything like that either, instead opting to stay with Hinata. They both had a lot of fun together, despite Hinata's sprained ankle.

Soon, it was New Year's Eve and was 11:30 P.M. Everyone was just talking and having fun.

Soon enough, it was close to midnight.

"ONE MINUTE, GUYS!" Ino yelled, warning everyone.

Sakura and Hinata finished pouring the sparkling apple cider for everyone, which was not alcoholic.

They handed the glasses out and when it was near, they all screamed, "Three…two…one!"

Everyone drank their apple cider and cheered.

"Happy New Year." Sakura said to Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked, "Happy New Year."

They hugged and then Sasuke kissed her.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist, while she rested her hands on his shoulders. They both pulled each other as close as they could be.

Neji did the same to Tenten, as did Naruto to Hinata. Temari grabbed Shikamaru and kissed him as well. Kiba blushed and pulled Ino in for a kiss too.

Gaara and Kankuro watched everyone and sighed.

* * *

"Did you check everything just to make sure that we didn't leave anything?" Sakura asked Sasuke, who nodded in confirmation.

It was January 2nd, the last day of break and everyone was leaving the ski resort.

The same people went in the same cars together as in the beginning of the vacation.

After about 3 hours, everyone had reached the campus once again.

"I am so tired even though it's noon. All that driving." Kiba said, "I'm going back to my dorm. Bye guys."

Ino, Shikamaru, obviously, Tenten, Temari and Kankuro were tired as well and went to their dorm rooms too. Gaara and Neji went with them too.

"How is your ankle, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked Hinata. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Hinata were all in Sakura's dorm room.

"B-Better. Thank you so much for taking care of me." She answered.

Sakura shrugged, "It was a good experience, especially because I want to become a doctor."

After an hour or two more, Naruto helped Hinata back to her dorm room where she fell asleep.

The rest of the day passed by quickly and before everyone knew it, it was time to go to school again.

* * *

The weeks passed by quickly and soon it was late February.

The season for tennis was going to be over and the next sport's tryouts were on February 27, even though volleyball didn't start until March 20.

"Volleyball, soccer and basketball tryouts start February 27! So come to the gym after school!" Tsunade announced over the loudspeakers during homeroom.

"A-Are you doing volleyball, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked.

Sakura nodded, "Definitely. What about you, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata nodded, "I-I think I will." By now, Hinata's sprained ankle had been healed and she had been stuttering less, probably because from hanging around Naruto.

"I'm doing volleyball too!" Ino chimed in. They were all at lunch, sitting on the grass under a sakura tree.

"Oh, great, Ino-pig." Sakura said, "Are you guys doing volleyball?" She asked Temari and Tenten.

They both shook their heads, "Soccer." Temari said.

Ino tilted her head, "But this season is _boys'_ soccer."

They both smirked, "Exactly." They said in unison, bumping their fists together.

"The girls' soccer team is way too soft for us." Temari said with Tenten nodding in agreement.

"Ah." Ino said, "Well, good luck. Because I would _not_ want to be surrounded by sweaty boys, who would probably take their shirts of…On second thought, I think I might join as well!"

Sakura elbowed her, "Ino-pig," She warned, "Don't play soccer if all you want to see are hot, sweaty boys."

Ino stuck her tongue out at her, "Fine, I'll stay with volleyball."

Then, the guys came over from buying their lunch, "Hey," Kiba said, sitting down next to Ino, "Whatcha guys talking about?"

"Hot, sweaty boys." Ino answered, making Kiba raised his eyebrows.

"Oh?" Kiba said, "So…like, me?"

Ino punched him on the arm, "No!"

"Ino-pig was talking about that, _the rest of us_ were just talking about what sports we're playing this season." Sakura clarified.

"Ahh." Kiba said.

Sasuke sat down on the other side of Sakura, "So? What are you going to play?"

Sakura turned to him, "Well, Hinata-chan, Ino-pig and I are going to play volleyball. While Tenten and Temari will play soccer."

"On the _boys'_ team?" Neji asked Tenten.

Tenten nodded, "Yup. We think that the girls' team is too soft."

"Tch." Shikamaru said, "Troublesome women." This resulted in him getting punched by Tenten and Temari.

"What?" Temari said, "You think we're too weak or something?"

"No," Shikamaru said, rubbing his shoulder, "Those punches proved that."

Temari rolled her eyes and the day passed by.

Soon enough, it was the day of the tryouts.

"Come on! We're going to be late!" Sakura said Hinata and Ino as they all ran down the hallway.

"Yes, Forehead, state the obvious!" Ino retorted.

Sakura huffed and rolled her eyes, "Well, we wouldn't have to be in this situation if you hadn't had to fix your hair!"

"It was an emergency!"

"G-Guys, we have a minute left." Hinata said, checking her watch.

Sakura sighed, "Oh, damn it! Come on! Tsunade-sama is not going to tolerate tardiness! You know how she is when she gets mad!" Tsunade coached the volleyball team as well.

They were right outside the gym doors when the door slammed shut, hitting Sakura who was in front of Hinata and Ino in the nose.

"Owww!" She said.

Sakura then opened the door with her right hand, the left holding her nose.

She popped her head in and then came in fully, Hinata and Ino behind her.

"WHY ARE YOU LATE GIRLS?!" Tsunade's voice boomed in the gym.

"U-Um, sorry, Tsunade-sama. I-It was an emergency." Hinata said.

Tsunade's glare softened when she heard the young Hyuuga speak. Hinata had that effect on people.

"IT'S FINE! BUT NEXT TIME, COME ON TIME OR YOU WON'T BE EXCUSED!"

"Y-Yes, Tsunade-sama!" They all said, then they rushed to the bleachers where everyone who was trying out for all sports were sitting.

Sakura sat next to Sasuke, holding her nose.

Ino and Hinata sat next to their boyfriends too.

Sasuke brushed Sakura's hand away from her nose and inspected it, "It's not broken, but it's going to be red for a while."

Sakura sighed, "Just what I needed."

She could hear Karin and her friends, who were also trying out or volleyball snickering.

Sakura rolled her eyes and Sasuke grabbed her hand, "You're going to do fine, I just know it." He said.

Sasuke squeezed it slightly and Sakura squeezed back, "Thanks. You are too."

Sasuke smirked.

"OKAY, STUDENTS!" Tsunade yelled, "EVERYONE TRYING OUT FOR SPORTS, GET CHANGED!"

Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten and Temari all went to change, coming out quickly.

Basketball tryouts were first, which were for girls. Since no one in Sakura's group of friends were trying out, they all talked amongst each other.

Soccer tryouts were next.

"Good luck," Sakura said to Sasuke as he stood up, then she smiled, "But it's not like you'll need it."

Sasuke smirked and let go of her hand. "Thanks, Rudolph." Then he jumped down from the bleachers to go outside to the field.

It took a while for Sakura to register what Sasuke had said to her, "UCHIHA!" She yelled when she figured it out, but he was already gone. Along with Tenten, Neji, Temari, Naruto, Kiba and Lee.

Sakura shook her head and turned to Hinata and Ino. Since soccer tryouts were outside, volleyball and soccer tryouts were going on at the same time.

"EVERYONE TRYING OUT FOR VOLLEYBALL CAN COME TO THE CENTER OF THE GYM!" Tsunade yelled.

Hinata, Sakura and Ino stood up, along with Karin and her friends.

"I AM GOING TO DIVIDE YOU UP INTO GROUPS OF 3 AND THEN YOU WILL VERSUS ANOTHER GROUP OF 3!" Tsunade said.

Hinata, Sakura and Ino were in the same group, but luckily, they didn't have to verse Karin's group.

The three of them won against their opposing team, earning an impressed look from Tsunade.

Afterwards, Tsunade said, "OKAY, STUDENTS! THE RESULTS WILL BE POSTED IN A WEEK! GOOD JOB!"

Hinata, Sakura and Ino went to go shower and change. They saw Tenten and Temari in there as well.

"I have to go to my locker." Sakura said, when they all walked out together, "I'll be right back."

They all nodded.

"Forehead! Meet us in the second floor common room in 5 minutes, okay?" Ino called to Sakura, who was at the bottom of the stairs.

"Sure, Ino-pig!" Sakura answered.

Sakura skipped up the stairs to go to her locker which was on the 3rd floor of the school building and when she opened the door to her locker, in her mirror, she saw Karin and her friends. Sakura whipped around and said, "What do you want?"

Karin looked at her with a fake expression of hurt and innocence, "Is that any way to say 'hi' to your friends?"

Sakura scoffed, "You are _not_ my friends."

Karin's innocent expression turned grim and she slapped Sakura and slammed her against the locker next to Sakura's, making Sakura's bag fall to the ground, "Listen, bitch. We know that you and Sasuke-kun are together now. And we thought that if something…_happened_ to you, he would be free-"

She got cut off when Sakura laughed bitterly, "YOU THINK OF HIM AS A TOY, DON'T YOU?! HE HAS FEELINGS TOO, YOU KNOW! HE IS NOT JUST SOME ITEM THAT YOU CAN BUY AT A STORE!" She yelled, "IF YOU REALLY LOVE _YOUR PRECIOUS SASUKE-KUN, _YOU WOULD WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY! AND SOMETIMES, THAT MEANS LETTING HIM BE WITH SOMEONE ELSE!"

Karin slapped her again, harder, making a bruise form on Sakura's left cheek. "Shut up, bitch." She sneered, "I _do_ love Sasuke-kun, so much that I will make him _mine, and mine only_. Then, and only then, will Sasuke-kun _truly_ be happy. But, the only problem that's in my way is you. So if I get rid of you, I'll have nothing to worry about!"

Sakura's eyes widened, _Get rid of me?! As in _kill _me?! Is she nuts?!_ Her breathing quickened, but she tried to stay calm.

"Tape her mouth shut!" Karin said.

One of the girls that was behind Karin obeyed, but Sakura still tried screaming.

Karin smirked evilly, "Take her to the roof."

Karin's friends tied Sakura's hands and feet and dragged her to the roof.

* * *

Hinata was starting to get worried where Sakura was, it had been 15 minutes already after the 5 minutes Sakura was given by Ino, "G-Guys, do you have any idea when Sakura-chan is?"

They all shook their heads.

Hinata sighed, "I-I'll call Sasuke-kun." She took her cell phone and dialed Sasuke's number.

On the 3rd ring, Sasuke picked up. "_Hello?" _

"Hi, Sasuke-kun."

"_Hinata?" _

"Y-Yes." Hinata said, "I was wondering if you knew where Sakura-chan was. She said that she was going to her locker about 20 minutes ago."

"_Oh. I just got out from the locker room, so no." He paused, "I'll go look for her." _

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"_No problem." _

They hung up and Sasuke went to go look for Sakura. _That klutz, she probably fell down the stairs or something. _

Sasuke jogged up the stairs to the 3rd floor where Sakura's locker was.

He saw Sakura's locker open and her bag on the ground open.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, _Please be okay, Sak._

Sasuke heard muffled screaming and he ran towards it, towards the roof.

* * *

"Mmmphhh!" Sakura screamed.

Karin rolled her eyes and said to her friends, "Push her off."

"B-But, I thought that we were only scaring her, not actually doing it." One of her friend's said.

"WELL, NOW WE ARE, SO HURRY UP!" Karin screamed.

Karin's friends started to untie Sakura's hands and feet and were getting ready to push her off when the door to the entrance of the roof burst open and Sasuke was standing there. Once he saw what was going on, he screamed, "KARIN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!

"MAKING YOU MINE!" Karin turned to her friends, "NOW!"

They finished untying the ties and ripped off the tape off of Sakura's mouth, making her yelp in pain. "S-Sasuke." That was the last thing Sakura could say before she got pushed off the ledge by Karin, because her friends were hesitating.

"SAKURA!" Sasuke screamed. He ran to the ledge and looked down to see a horrifying sight of Sakura, her blood pooling around her.

Without another word, Sasuke ran to the door to the entrance of the room, flung it open, almost ripping it off of it's hinges and bounded furiously down the stairs, leaving Karin and her friends on the rooftop.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**ZOMG, you all must hate me. :) My friend who reads this story over before I put it online does too...so yeah. HEHE. IT IS (MAY) GOING TO GET BETTER, SO HANG IN THERE. SORRY. Review? Please? Thanks! BYE!**


	15. Chapter 15: Forgive Me, Please

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**ZOMG, so many people reviewed last chapter, commenting about Sakura and the incident. Hehe, you all must hate me. But, please, read on. IT GETS BETTER! :)**

* * *

Chapter 15:

"I AM SO TIRED FROM SO MUCH RUNNING!" Naruto complained. Neji, Lee, Kiba, Sasuke and him had finished changing from soccer tryouts, heading out from the locker room. "LET'S GO EAT RAMEN!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke said.

Then, Sasuke got a phone call. After about a minute or so of talking, Sasuke ran to the stairs without saying a word.

"WAIT, TEME!" Naruto called out, but Sasuke didn't answer, he was too caught up in his own thoughts.

Naruto shrugged, "Okay, so are we going to get ramen or what?" He said to the rest of the group.

"Shouldn't we wait for Sasuke, who has youthfully bounded off?" Lee asked.

"Pshhh. No. That teme doesn't deserve ramen, now let's go!" Naruto pushed open the entrance door to the school with his back.

Lee, Kiba and Naruto were talking when Neji abruptly stopped.

"Wait, guys." Neji said slowly, "Isn't that…Sakura?" He motioned towards Sakura's unconscious body on the pavement, her blood all around her.

"OH MY GOD!" Naruto screamed, "SAKURA-CHAN!" He ran to her, just to get pushed by Sasuke who had just arrived from running down the stairs too. "TEME?! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!"

Sasuke had a dangerous aura around him, but Naruto didn't care. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Karin." He simply said. "NOW CALL THE FREAKING AMBULANCE!" He yelled to Neji who had his cell phone out.

Neji dialed the hospital, who said that they would send an ambulance right away.

After about 5 minutes, blaring sirens alerted everyone that the ambulance was there. A crowd of students who were still in school surrounded them, wondering what was going on.

The medics jumped out of the ambulance hastily and lifted Sakura's pale body onto their stretcher. Sasuke, who was holding her hand, made a move to go in the ambulance as well, but the medic stopped him.

"I'm sorry sir, only immediate family can come in the ambulance." He said.

Sasuke glared at him, "She doesn't have any family here and I'm her boyfriend, I'm coming!"

The medic sighed, this always happened, "Sir, you cannot. Those are the rules-"

"TO HELL WITH THE RULES! NOW, GET HER TO THE HOSPITAL!"

The medic nodded hurriedly, slightly scared of Sasuke, letting him go in the ambulance.

Before the door closed, Sasuke said to Naruto and the others, "Tell Hinata and the others right away."

Neji nodded subconsciously, already dialing Hinata's cell phone number.

The entire ride to the hospital Sasuke held onto Sakura's hand, whispering, "I'm so sorry." He kissed her fingers, "Just, please. Come back." He whispered, "Come back to me."

* * *

Right when they got to the hospital, Sakura was whisked away to the emergency room, leaving Sasuke to sit in the uncomfortable chairs of the waiting room.

Sasuke sat there, the silence torturing him. Not even five minutes later, he could hear Ino, Temari and Tenten screaming, running down the hall with Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, Lee and Naruto following them.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Ino screamed, ignoring the look she got from the woman who was working at the front desk.

Sasuke just pointed to the door down the hall, that had a large, red, blinking light that said "Emergency Room."

"Oh." She said, a bit calmer.

Everyone sat down. Ino and Hinata burst out in tears, covering their faces with their small hands while their boyfriends hugged them. Temari and Tenten looked extremely angry, an aura almost as dangerous as Sasuke's around them. When Shikamaru and Neji tried to talk to them or comfort them, they snapped angrily at them.

"I am sooooo going to kill Karin when I get back to school." Tenten said menacingly.

Temari scoffed, "Tch. Not if I already I have."

An hour went by before the door opened. Everyone stood up immediately and Sasuke rushed to the doctor. "H-How is she?!"

The doctor sighed, "Sakura-san's condition is pretty bad. If you hadn't called the ambulance right away, she…may have died. That's the good news." She said.

"What?! Then what's the bad news?!" Naruto screamed.

The doctor looked down, "Sakura-san's…in a coma."

No one said anything for the longest time before Hinata let out a muffled and strangled sound. She fell to the ground and covered her mouth, tears streaming uncontrollably out of her pale eyes. "S-Sakura-chan!" She stuttered out.

Sasuke remained silent and then he said, "C-Can I see her?"

The doctor sighed, "Not right now, not while she is in this-"

"Please! Just for a little while!"

The doctor sighed, "Fine. But only one person at a time."

Sasuke nodded and went inside the room after the doctor.

He stopped walking when he saw Sakura. There was barely any visible skin on her, everything was covered in bandages. Her left arm and right leg were in casts and her forehead was bandaged, blood seeping through. But even in her condition, she still managed to look beautiful.

"Can I…be alone with her for a while?" Sasuke asked the doctor.

The doctor sighed, "Only for a while, then I have to kick you out." She smiled sweetly and caringly at Sasuke who returned it with a nod. Then, she left the room, closing the door behind her to give them some privacy.

Sasuke sat down in the chair next to Sakura's bed and brushed away her pink bangs that clouded his vision of her face. He intertwined their fingers with his other hand.

Sakura's hand was still soft, her fingers still delicate and long, despite many cuts and blood being on them.

His eyes collected tears for the first time in many years and he let some fall before wiping them away furiously, letting his head hang a bit.

He smirked slightly and lifted his face, looking at her closed eyelids that stopped him from seeing her sparkling, emerald eyes, "See, Sak? You make me express things I never want to. That's why I need you to come back."

Sasuke looked at her face, which was still unmoving.

"Please." He begged, squeezing her hand tightly.

Getting no response, he shook his head at the irony of the situation. Just not even a few hours ago, he had been holding her hand at the tryouts.

Someone knocked at the door and the doctor came in, "Others want to see her too, sorry."

Sasuke nodded and took one last look at Sakura and kissed her bandaged cheek.

Then he got up and left the room quietly. Hinata went in next and when she saw the state of her friend, she gasped slightly.

Hinata came out crying after a while, even more than when she went in. Naruto slung his arm around Sasuke's shoulders and the other around Hinata's waist, trying to comfort them both, but Sasuke shook him off and stood up and went to the window, sitting on the ledge.

Once everyone had went in, the doctor told them that it was past visiting hours and they all needed to go home. Luckily, it was a Friday and so they didn't have any school the next day.

Neji and Kiba drove everyone home, since they were the only stable ones.

Sasuke didn't want to go home, wanting to stay even in the waiting room the whole night, but Naruto made him.

"Sasuke." Naruto said, "Try to get some sleep." He pushed Sasuke in his room and made him lay down, "Seriously."

Sasuke just nodded, but after Naruto left, Sasuke couldn't sleep. _I s__hould tell her parents._ He thought. He fished out Sakura's cell phone from his pocket that the doctor had given him.

He scrolled through her contacts and found one labeled "Mom."

He dialed it, not caring that it was already midnight.

On the fourth ring, someone picked up. A sweet voice said, _"Hello?"_ She didn't sound tired so Sasuke was relieved, thinking that they were somewhere where it was still day. Sakura had told him that her parents traveled a lot.

"U-Um…hello?" Sasuke said.

_"Hello. W-Who are you?"_ The voice asked.

Sasuke said, "I'm Sakura's dorm mate, Uchiha Sasuke."

_"Ah."_ She said, _"I'm Sakura's mom, Haruno Mebuki."_ Sasuke could hear the smirk in her voice, _"And are you sure you are _just_ her dorm mate?"_

Sasuke blushed slightly, "U-Um, pardon me, Haruno-san, I don't understand." His mom had always taught him to be polite to elders, before she died.

Sakura's mom laughed, _"You're her boyfriend, aren't you?"_

"Y-Yes, I am."

Sakura's mom laughed again, _"Yes, she had told me."_ Then she paused, _"And please, don't call me 'Haruno-san,' it makes me sound so old. Call me 'okaa-san' instead." _**(A/N: For all of you who don't know, "okaa-san" means mother.)**_**  
**_

Sasuke blushed more, "U-Um, sure." He sighed, "But, I have something to inform you of."

Her voice turned serious all of a sudden, _"Did something happen to Saku-chan?"_

"Y-Yes." Sasuke explained the whole story and Mebuki stayed silent the whole time.

_"I-I see."_ She said, when he finished. Sasuke could hear that she was trying not to cry, _"L-Let me…go get my husband."_ Sasuke knew that Sakura was close to her mother, which probably explained how her mom knew about the two of them together.

Sasuke could hear the phone being dropped and he could hear someone crying. He flinched, he always hated hearing people cry.

_"Hello?"_ Someone said, a gruff voice after a while that Sasuke thought would be Sakura's father.

"Yes, sir." Sasuke answered.

_"Would you care to explain why my wife is crying?"_ He said, _"I'm Sakura's father."_

"Yes, Haruno-san." Sasuke explained the story again.

What he got for a response was silence. After a long time, he heard Sakura's father speak again, _"I see. Well, I am truly sorry, but my wife and I cannot come to Japan right now. We are currently in America and have a very important meeting this afternoon."_

"I understand, sir."

_"Well, thank you for informing me, Sasuke."_

Sasuke nodded, even though he knew that Sakura's father couldn't see, "You're welcome, sir. I will tell you any updates."

_"Thank you, Sasuke."_

"Yes, sir."

They both hung up and Sasuke put his and Sakura's phone on the nightstand.

He fell asleep thinking about Sakura's smile.

* * *

It had been 3 weeks since Sakura was first put in a coma. Karin and her friends were expelled from the school and were arrested for attempted murder.

Sakura's wounds had been mostly healed, but she was still in a coma. Sasuke went there before and after school, never doing anything else.

He did homework in her room, talking to her like she was awake and talking back.

Sasuke's friends were worried about Sasuke, they of course cared about Sakura but they still wanted Sasuke to be happy.

As for sport tryouts, Sasuke was the captain and Neji was the co-captain of the soccer team, with Naruto, Lee, Temari and Tenten making it as well. Ino, Hinata and Sakura made the volleyball team as well. Sakura was the captain, while Hinata was the co-captain. Since Sakura was in the hospital, Hinata was going to be taking over for the team for the time being.

"You know what, Sak? You're the volleyball captain too." It was another day and Sasuke was sitting on the chair next to Sakura's bed. Sasuke smirked, '"Do you have to be great at everything?"

Like usual, she didn't answer. The only response Sasuke got was the beeping of the monitor that kept track of her heart beat, telling Sasuke that she was alive.

The days went on, with Sasuke not knowing how to respond to this. He often got nightmares, relating to Sakura dying. Sasuke decided to give up on sleep, but somehow he got a few hours in.

All of Sakura's friends visited Sakura frequently.

Hinata told her about how everyone was doing and how everyone's lives were.

Ino told Sakura about all the current gossip in the school.

Temari and Tenten told her about their "awesome sport experiences." They both loved being on the guys' team. At first, the boys thought that them two would only bring down the team but after tryouts, they shut their mouths.

Naruto would tell her about how much ramen he ate.

Kiba would tell her about funny stories.

Neji would usually go and sit there for a while before coming back to campus, as well as Shikamaru. Gaara, Kankuro, Shino, Chouji would basically do the same thing too.

Lee would tell her why she needed to get up, usually saying something along the lines of, "IT IS NOT YOUTHFUL TO STAY SITTING ALL DAY, EVEN IF YOU ARE IN AN UN-YOUTHFUL COMA!" This resulted in him getting warned to quiet down many times by the person at the front desk and even threatened to get kicked out of the hospital.

It was soon March 20, they day that volleyball began, but Sakura still hadn't woken up.

Sasuke skipped most of the soccer practices, even though he was captain, but Neji, who was co-captain, made him come to some practices to get his mind off things.

Sasuke stroked the back of Sakura's hand with his thumb another afternoon at the hospital.

"It's your birthday soon." Sasuke said, "Aren't you going to wake up? And see what I bought for you? I'm sure you'll love it."

When she didn't respond like usual, Sasuke hung his head and tears blocked his vision again.

"Please, just wake up. I don't know what I'll do without you. It's been so hard living like this. I need you, Sak. So just, please." Sasuke shook, "You…You don't have to forgive me if you do wake up." He paused as a sob racked his body, "I-I know this is all my fault and I would love it if you could forgive me, even though I don't deserve it." He shut his eyes, "But just please wake up. That's all I ask."

"I…I forgive you." Someone said quietly.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

***dramatic gasp* WHO EVER COULD BE THE PERSON THAT SAID "I...I forgive you." ? You will find out next chapter! :) Review! Please?**


	16. Chapter 16: Yours Forever

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**I feel like my chapters are getting shorter and shorter...eh. Whatever. :) **

* * *

Chapter 16:

_"Please, just wake up. I don't know what I'll do without you. It's been so hard living like this. I need you, Sak. So just, please." Sasuke shook, "You…You don't have to forgive me if you do wake up." He paused as a sob racked his body, "I-I know this is all my fault and I would love it if you could forgive me, even though I don't deserve it." He shut his eyes, "But just please wake up. That's all I ask."_

_"I…I forgive you." Someone said quietly._

Sasuke's eyes shot open and he froze. He looked up slowly and saw Sakura smiling slightly, "S-Sakura!"

"B-But, what are you sorry for exactly?" She said softly.

Sasuke smirked and shook his head, wiping his tears, "You're so…" He smirked.

Sakura held his hand, "Don't be sorry." Then she looked away, with an irritated expression on her face, "I'm kind of mad at myself, that I didn't beat the crap out of Karin and her posse."

Sasuke smirked and poked her nose,"You're back. I was beginning to think that coma turned you into Hinata."

Sakura smiled, "Just come here."

He came closer and she lifted her left arm slowly, grabbed his t-shirt lightly and kissed him softly.

Sasuke smirked, "I'll go call the doctor."

"Do you have to?" She whined.

Sasuke shook his head, "Yes."

"Fine."

Sasuke opened the door and before he could step outside, the doctor came rushing in, "HER HEARTBEAT IS RACING AND-" The doctor saw Sakura, "Y-You're awake?"

Sakura nodded unsurely, "I think so."

The doctor laughed, "But then I wonder why your heartbeat was racing…" She trailed off, looking at Sasuke and Sakura. Their cheeks were both flushed and Sakura was smiling, "Ahh. I see." Teenagers. She thought.

"Okay." The doctor turned to Sasuke, "Sasuke-san, I will have to ask you to leave so I can check if Sakura-san's physical condition is alright."

Sasuke nodded, "Okay." He left the room and called Naruto, "Dobe." He smirked, "She's awake."

_"WHAT?!"_ Naruto's loud voice said, _"OH MY GOD, SHE'S NOT DEAD! YES! HINATA-CHYAAAAAAAAN! SAKURA-CHAN'S AWAKE!"_

Sasuke could hear Hinata saying, _"What?!"_ And then he heard someone burst into happy tears and a thump, he figured it was Hinata fainting.

Sasuke smirked and hung up the phone to leave Naruto screaming, _"NOOOO! NOW HINATA-CHAN IS DYING! NOOOOO!"_

He knew that the two of them, when Hinata woke up, would tell everyone else.

Sasuke shook his head and sat down in the waiting chair and called Sakura's parents, informing them of the good news.

Sakura's mother started crying again, this time because of joy and Sakura's father just said, _"Thank you for your help, Sasuke."_

After a while, the doctor came out, "You can come in again, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke jumped up out of his seat and went into the room to see Sakura, still sitting in the bed, but she looked somewhat angry.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked her, sitting down on the bed next to her.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "They won't let me get out of bed."

Sasuke smirked and brushed away her hair, tucking the few stray strands behind her ears, "Why would you want to? If I may remind you, you did just come out of a coma."

"Well, yes, but now I'm out of it, aren't I?" She retorted.

Sasuke poked her nose again, "That's my Sak."

Sakura wrinkled her nose, "Since when was I yours?"

"Since forever."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and he smirked at her behavior.

Sakura smiled at him, "You still smirk too much."

"You still talk too much, even after coming out of a coma," Sasuke pointed out, while smirking.

Sakura laughed and hugged him. He hugged her back, "You know, I really missed being in your arms."

"And I missed you being there." Sasuke said honestly.

Sakura lifted her head and nudged him in the stomach, "You're so cheesy."

"Hn. I know, but you like it. And you're the only one who will ever hear me say these things." He nuzzled his nose in her pink tresses, that still had the faint smell of strawberries.

Sakura smiled, "Yeah, I know."

* * *

The next day, Sakura was allowed to leave the hospital. She had a brace on her arm and leg, which would soon be taken off.

When she reached the campus with Sasuke's help, her friends glomped her asking her how she was and how much she missed and telling her about what happened to Karin.

"Sak, you should let your parents know that you're out of the hospital." Sasuke said to Sakura. They were both in their dorm room's living room after Sakura had been discharged from the hospital.

"Okay." She picked up her cell phone and called her mom. "Hello?" She said when someone picked up.

Sasuke couldn't hear what her mom was saying, only Sakura's responses, but they were quite amusing.

"Yes mom, I'm all right," She said again, "No, I'm seriously fine…Yes…MOM!" Sakura snuck a glance at Sasuke while blushing.

_Her mom is obviously talking about me._ Sasuke thought.

"M-om! No!...Yes, he is taking care of me…Yes…No…Mom, I promise, he takes care of me…I'm serious!...Okay…MOM! WE HAVE NOT…I AM TOO YOUNG!... _MOTHER!_...WHY ARE YOU ENCOURAGING THAT?!" Her face got redder and redder as she talked to her mom, "No, I don't plan to, not any time soon…MOM!...Seriously…Okay…I love you too…No, I am not doing anything alcohol-related…Okay…Bye."

Sakura sighed and hung up. She looked warily at Sasuke who was looking at her with an amused expression on his face.

"So? What did you talk about?" Sasuke asked, knowing very well what her mom was talking about.

Sakura blushed, "N-Nothing. Nothing related to you at least." She crossed her arms, "Not everything is about you, you know."

Sasuke leaned close to her, "Oh, really? Then tell me, who else is taking care of you that is a 'he?'"

"Naruto?"

Sasuke scoffed, "If I left you in his care, you would have been dead a long time ago."

Sakura laughed.

Sasuke smirked at her.

After a week, a day before Sakura's birthday, she was brace-free and was able to walk on her own, but she still wasn't allowed to play volleyball.

* * *

"Is the blindfold really necessary?" Sakura asked. It was March 28, Sakura's birthday and it was early in the morning, right when Sakura had woken up. Sasuke wanted to be the first one to wish her and give her her present before any of her other friends could.

Sasuke sighed, "For the fourth time, Sak, yes."

Sakura sighed as well and decided to just let Sasuke lead her to wherever he was. Sasuke tugged on her hand more and Sakura followed blindly.

When they finally stopped, Sasuke took Sakura's blindfold off.

Sakura blinked, clearing her vision, then looked in front of her to see a car. It looked very similar to Sasuke's, but she noticed that it had blue tints on the back. "Who's car is this?"

Sasuke smirked, "Yours." He simply said, throwing her the keys that had a charm with a picture of them two on it, which she caught, "Happy birthday."

Sakura gaped at him in shock before launching herself on him and kissing him. Sasuke stumbled a bit and when they were about to fall on the car, Sasuke shot out a hand to keep him and his girlfriend steady, while the other one was busy holding her slim waist to him as close as possible.

She held onto his hair with one hand while the other one was on his chest, gripping his shirt.

When they reluctantly pulled apart, Sakura breathlessly said, "B-But, I can't accept this. It's just way too expensive for a birthday gift."

Sasuke smirked and flipped their positions so her back was leaning against the car, "So?"

Sakura blushed at their position, "W-What do you mean 'so?' I can't take this from you."

"But you're not, I am giving it to you." And with that he kissed her more aggressively than before, not giving her a chance to protest.

After the need for air came in between, Sakura realized something, "Wait. But, I don't know how to drive."

"I'll teach you and then you can take your driver's test."

Sakura nodded and smiled. She hugged Sasuke tightly, "You're the best boyfriend ever, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know." Sasuke said cockily.

She shoved his shoulder, "Jerk."

Sasuke smirked, "Thank you." He kissed her cheek, "And you're the best girlfriend ever."

"Yeah, I know." Sakura mimicked.

After they went inside, Ino, Hinata, Tenten and Temari were already in her dorm room.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" Ino screamed, "I ACTUALLY GOT UP EARLY FOR ONCE TO-" She stopped talking when she noticed that Sasuke and Sakura's hands were linked, their hair was messed up and they were both blushing.

"Hey, is that car keys?" Tenten asked.

Sakura nodded, "I got a car for my birthday."

"WHAT?!" Ino screeched, "FROM WHO?!"

Sasuke squeezed her hand slightly, silently letting her know that it was okay to tell them, "Sasuke." Sakura said.

Her four friends and Naruto who had woken up gaped at her.

"WHAT. THE. HELL." Naruto gaped, "BUT…BUT TEME! YOU NEVER GOT ME A CAR FOR MY BIRTHDAY!"

"Tch. Who would give a dobe like you a car? You would crash it in a matter of seconds." Sasuke replied.

Naruto blushed, "Psh. No." He paused when everybody looked at him, "Okay! FINE! I probably would, BUT STILL!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Tenten pouted, "Great job, Sasuke. Now you make my present feel like nothing."

Temari nodded as well.

Sakura giggled, "Guys. You don't have to get me a car or something, you didn't have to get me anything, in fact."

Ino rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, Forehead. We obviously have to get you something for your 16th birthday!"

Sakura smiled at all of them.

Ino grabbed Sakura and pushed her into the bathroom, telling her to take a shower and get ready.

After Sakura had taken a shower, she realized she didn't have clothes, "INO-PIG! WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO WEAR?!"

Ino popped her head in the bathroom, "I got you a dress for your birthday!"

"So should I wear that?"

Ino sighed, "Uh, duh!"

Silence occurred.

"SO CAN I HAVE IT?!" Sakura yelled.

"Yeah! It's with all the other gifts which are…" Ino smacked her forehead, "One second!" She ran out the door.

Sakura shook her head at her friend's stupidity.

Ino came back 2 minutes later, box in hand. Thrusting the box towards Sakura, Ino left her to get changed.

Sakura did and once she put it on, she looked at herself in the mirror. It was a baby blue halter dress that was light and flowy. It went down to knee length, with a small slit in the right side. Her upper back was covered with a lace, transparent material, which had blue flowers on it.

Sakura came out of the bathroom to be dragged by Ino to her own room where Ino got Sakura ready. She put simple makeup, knowing if she put too much the girl Temari and Tenten were currently restraining from strangling Ino would throw a hissy fit. Ino also brought out one inch, silver, strappy heels for Sakura to wear.

All of Sakura's accessories were silver and her hair was half tied up, leaving her bangs to frame her face, while the rest of her long tresses flowed down her back.

Ino scrutinized her work, "There!" Ino exclaimed, "I'm all done!"

Sakura sighed, "Are you done torturing me now?"

Ino nodded.

"So can I ask what this is for?"

Ino shook her head and said, "Come on!"

Sakura stood up and followed Ino to second floor common room where Sakura's friends were waiting.

There was "Happy Birthday" banners, streamers, balloons and more. There was a giant cake in the middle of a table and presents piled on another nearby table.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone cried out.

Sakura teared up, "Aww! OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS!" She hugged all of her friends. "YOU ARE ALL SO AWESOME!" She exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

After they had sung "Happy Birthday," Sakura made a wish and when she started to cut the cake, Sasuke took some vanilla icing from the cake and smeared it on her nose, making Sakura gasp and glare at him. She took some icing from the cake as well and smeared it on his cheek. This continued for a while before they both stopped, Sakura laughing, Sasuke smirking and they kissed.

After Sasuke and Sakura washed their faces, Sakura cut the cake and everyone ate.

Sakura then opened her presents, getting many books, stationery, makeup (from Ino, who insisted that she put it on more often) and more.

"Thank you so much!" Sakura said to everyone.

After the party, everyone went to their dorm rooms and Sakura got a call from her parents.

"Hello?" Sakura asked, she was in her room.

_"Happy birthday, sweetie!"_ Her mom's voice rang out from the phone.

Sakura smiled slightly, "Thanks." Then she paused, "Hey, are you coming to Japan soon? You said you would yesterday."

Sakura's mom sighed,_ "I don't think your father and I can, Saku-chan. You know how important our meetings are."_

"Yeah, I do. But this is also my _16th birthday,_ mom."

_"Yes, I know, but Sakura, you've got to understand that-"_

Sakura laughed bitterly, "No, mom. You've got to understand! You haven't been here on my birthday for 4 years, mom! I haven't seen you, except that day you dropped me here, for about 5 years! You know how terrible that is for a girl?"

Sakura's mom sighed again, _"Sakura, I know but-"_

"No, you don't know! That's the problem! If you did understand, you would be here, next to me, wishing me a happy birthday and hugging me, something normal moms do!"

_"Please Sakura, try to understand what position we're in. Your father and I are trying to fly over next week and-"_

Sakura laughed again, "Next week won't be my birthday, mother! And I know that I am sounding really bratty, but I haven't said anything like this for so long! All these years, you have no idea how lonely I have felt."

_"Sakura, dear, we have about 15 maids at-"_

"Well maids aren't my parents!" She said, then she dropped her voice to a gentle tone, tearing up, "Maids aren't you."

It was silent for a while, then Sakura's father came on the other line.

_"Sakura, your mother is very upset. You know as well as I do that we can't be there, even if we would like to be."_

"Well, can't you take off, just for one time? One time, could you be here?"

_"Sakura, I've had enough of this, you're the heiress of Haruno industries, for God's sake! Now apologize to your mother and stop acting spoiled-"_

"Dad, I've had enough of this! Did you ever stop to think that I maybe don't want to be the heiress?"

_"Sakura-"_

"Did you ever think that I want to do something else with my life? Like become a doctor?"

_"Sakura, you know that I don't care what you want to become. This is what is expected of the Haruno heiress and you will stop being like this. Now apologize and-"_

"No! I've had enough, dad." Then she laughed, "I don't even think you deserve to be called that."

_"Haruno Sakura! Since when did you become such an insolent child?!"_

"I am not insolent, you are just-"

Sakura's father scoffed, cutting Sakura off, _"I bet it's that Sasuke kid that's made you like this."_

Sakura gasped, "How dare you insult him? I don't care what you say about me, but do not go as far as insulting Sasuke! He is a great person and he cares for me more than you ever have!"

_"Whatever, but you will become the heiress no what matter what happens and-"_

"That's your dream, not mine."

Sakura's dad sighed,_ "Sakura, I'm disappointed in you. I never thought that you would-"_

"Bye!" Sakura hung up the phone and threw it on her bed next to her, where she was sitting. She noticed that Sasuke was leaning on the doorway, arms crossed, eyebrows raised. "I'll apologize to them later." She mumbled, turning away from him.

Sasuke went over to her and sat on her bed, "Sak. You should apologize now, you know that's no way to speak to your parents."

Sakura's eyes collected tears and she tried to blink them away, but they rolled down her cheeks before she could, "I-I know and I feel terrible, but it's just that…all of that…what I said…i-it's true."

Sasuke captured her in a hug and she clung to his shirt, crying even more.

"They…They've never even thought that I-I wanted to be a doctor. My parents never listened to me about that, mostly my dad and they only wanted me to become a good heiress. They even went as far as i-insulting you! W-What was I supposed to say?" She said between crying.

Sasuke smoothed her hair down and kissed the top of her head, knowing that he should just let her cry. He knew that his arms around her was enough reassurance that he would be there for her.

After a while, when she stopped crying, Sasuke wiped away his tears and said, "You okay?"

Sakura nodded, "I would call them, but it's pretty late in America, where they are now."

Sasuke nodded, "Be sure to call them tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**TEENAGE REBELLION! lol. Was the fight a bit too much? I feel like it was meh. WHY IS SASUKE SO PERFECT? IT IS JUST NOT FAIR! How was it? Good? Bad? Meh? Please tell me! It's greatly appreciated! Thanks! **


	17. Chapter 17: I'm Sorry, Mom, Dad

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I haven't updated in soooooo long, so I'm REALLY sorry. It's just that with school starting and everything, it's been really hectic. Sorry. Without further ado, CHAPTER 17! **

* * *

Chapter 17:

Sakura woke up to her cell phone ringing. She looked over at the nightstand where it was placed, still ringing. Sighing, she sat up in bed and yawned. She reached over and grabbed it, "H-Hello?" She murmured, rubbing her eyes, still sleepy.

"_Miss Haruno Sakura?"_ A voice on the other line said, he sounded morbid.

"Yes?" Sakura said, yawning once again.

"_I'm sorry to bother you at this time, Miss, but something very tragic has happened." _The voice said, sounding sad and anxious at the same time.

Sakura's eyes shot open, "W-What do you mean?" She stammered.

"_Flight 360 has crashed at approximately 3:30 A.M. today." _

Sakura looked at the time now, it was 4:19 A.M. "Oh." Sakura paused, "I'm sorry, I don't understand. What does this have to do with me?"

Sakura heard the person sigh, she somehow just knew that she wouldn't like what he was going to say next, "_Your parents were on that flight." _

Sakura's heart stopped, "W-What? B-But…But my parents own a private jet! Why the hell would they be on a plane? You're lying, right?!"

"_No, Miss Haruno. Your parents didn't fly on their private jet this time and I assure you that I am not lying."_

"W-Where they flying to?" She had a feeling she knew.

"_Japan,"_ The person said, confirming Sakura's suspicions.

Sakura looked down, "B-But why were they flying to Japan in the first place?"

"I don't know fully, but they did say something about making it up to someone, I

forgot her name. They said they felt awful for what happened and how they couldn't be there for her, but I don't know what they meant, I'm sorry."

Sakura's words got caught in her throat, like if she would say anything, she would choke. Then her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. She said in a hushed tone. "A-Are they…" Sakura trailed off, not wanting to finish.

The man on the phone understood that she was asking if her parents were alive or not, "_Unfortunately, yes, Miss Haruno." _He answered.

Sakura was silent until she let out a bloodcurdling scream and she took deep breaths, dropping her phone to the ground, making the call end. She tried to breath, but she couldn't. She felt like she couldn't do anything, as if she had gotten hit hard and the wind had been knocked out of her. Sakura didn't cry because it didn't feel real, like it was a dream.

Sasuke burst through the door, scanned the room to see what happened and saw Sakura on her hands and knees on the hardwood floor.

"Sak! Hey, Sak!" He called out, shaking her.

Sakura looked up and saw him, grabbing his arm to steady herself. Her breathing quickened and before she knew it, she started to vomit.

Sasuke called for a janitor and Naruto came rushing into the room as well. Sasuke cleaned Sakura up and she managed to say, "M-My parents…they're…"

Then, the corners of Sakura's vision started to fade and soon enough, everything went black.

* * *

When Sakura woke up, she was in her bed. She sat up, her head pounding. She saw that someone had left a glass of water on her night stand. Gulping it down thirstily, she remembered everything that happened.

Sakura looked at the light pouring through the somewhat opened curtains, she figured it was Sunday morning, the day after her birthday.

She looked at the floor, now vomit-free and her eyes saddened.

Then, all of a sudden, she started to cry. She cried harder than ever before and curled into a little ball. Sakura cried for a long time, muffling her cries with her pillow. She didn't want to wake Naruto or Sasuke because she knew they would come to her. Right now, she wanted to be alone.

Sakura quickly fell asleep after crying herself out.

* * *

The next few days, Sakura moped around school. She was barely getting any sleep, always awoken by nightmares. She felt terrible that she couldn't even apologize to her parents after screaming at them like that, making them feel bad about themselves. Sakura had never done that before and she felt like she had a pit in her stomach that could never be filled.

Sakura's friends knew what happened and were worried about Sakura's condition. Sakura never talked to anyone, not even Sasuke, Hinata or Naruto except for necessary things. It was the same every day; going to school, coming to the dorm and locking herself in her own room, doing her homework and falling asleep. Sasuke was trying to get Sakura to eat something, anything, but she barely would.

After 2 weeks of this had gone by, Sakura looked a sickly pale and the bags under her eyes could no longer be concealed by makeup.

"Sak." Sasuke said at lunch. They were all sitting underneath the same sakura tree they had been since forever.

Sakura's dead eyes lifted themselves drearily to rest on Sasuke's face.

"Eat." He thrust his bento towards her and when she didn't make a move to get it, he sighed, raking a hand through his hair. He picked up the chopsticks and fed her, prodding food between her pale, thin lips.

Sakura ate half the bento and then refused to eat anymore. Sasuke left her alone, content that she ate _something_.

Another 2 weeks went by. Sakura was eating, well, more than she had been, the bags under her eyes were still visible, but faint and she was talking more. It seemed like she was getting better. Her friends don't think that she has totally moved on, but how could someone after that?

Sakura herself was confused as to how she was supposed to act. She still wasn't the same, how she used to be. It just didn't seem real, losing people close to you. One minute, they're there in your life, and the next, they're gone. How are you supposed to react to that? Are you even supposed to do anything? Or are you supposed to shut down and become depressed, but what good would that do to anyone?

She felt even worse that she couldn't tell her parents after their argument that she loved them, she couldn't thank them for all they have done for her and because of that, she felt guilty. Wasn't it her fault that they died?

Sakura then thought of her brother and noticed how she had no more family left. She felt so alone in the world and an indescribable feeling washed over her, breaking her down more.

Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Temari and Naruto all missed the fun-loving, light hearted girl that they used to call their best friend. The others did too, Sakura was always around to lighten the mood and make them laugh.

Sasuke was especially worried, being her boyfriend. He tried to stay with her as much as possible.

Sakura was still in the volleyball team and was playing well, but there was just something different. After she had changed one day after practice, she saw Sasuke walking out of the boy's locker room talking to Naruto, they had just a soccer practice as well.

She shouldered her bag more securely, eyes on the ground and started to walk faster towards the exit of the gym. She quickly went to her locker and when she was running down the stairs, she saw Sasuke waiting there.

Sakura ignored him and continued to go on to her dorm room when Sasuke grabbed her wrist and said, "Sak. Why are you avoiding me? You can talk to me, you know." He shook his head, "I understand how you feel so much, so much that it hurts." He loosened his grip ever so slightly, "I know how it is when you feel like you are alone in the world. I know what you're going through." He looked up at Sakura, who was looking at where is his hand was clasping her wrist, "But, Sak, I really was alone at that point. You…you have the dobe, Hinata and everyone else. So don't feel alone because, you have me too." Sasuke blushed slightly, "I can be your family now."

Sakura lifted her head and stopped resisting against his grasp. She looked at his onyx eyes to see if he was serious. He was, his eyes said it all. Sasuke's hand trailed down to her hand, making them hold hands. "T-Thank you." She said quietly, her voice somewhat raspy from not using it too often recently.

Sakura smiled slightly at the warmth of his hand and comfort and Sasuke kissed her sweetly. She hung onto his hand and they both walked to the dorm rooms together.

"I've heard you're doing great on the volleyball team." Sasuke said to Sakura. Sasuke had managed to persuade Sakura not to lock herself in her room. They

were both sitting on the living room couch, Sakura resting her head on his lap while Sasuke played with her hair with his long fingers. Naruto was with Hinata, in her dorm room.

"Mm." Sakura mumbled. "I'm sure you are too."

Sasuke smirked.

Soon enough, it was time for dinner. Sakura had fallen asleep on Sasuke's lap. Sasuke shook her slightly, "Sak." He whispered, making her eyes flutter open.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"You've got to eat something. Let's go to the dining hall where everyone else is."

Sakura looked away, "I'm not hungry."

"I'm going to make you come one way or another." Sasuke stated.

Sakura rolled her eyes and laid back down on the other side of the couch, "Great

to know."

Next thing she knew, she was being lifted up and put on Sasuke's back. He was giving her a reluctant piggyback ride.

"S-Sasuke!" Sakura blushed.

Sasuke smirked up at her, "Yes?"

"P-Put me down!"

"No." He answered, walking out the door and down the hall.

Sakura insisted, "I'll walk on my own to the dining hall."

"No you won't, you'll run back to our dorm room." Sasuke said.

Sakura rolled her eyes again and huffed, giving up. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder to try and avoid the people that were staring at the two, wondering what the heck they were doing.

Sasuke didn't seem to mind them and kept going on towards the dining hall.

When they reached there, Sasuke plopped Sakura down gently into the seat beside him and gave her a knowing look. Sakura put her hands up as if to say "Fine, fine."

Tenten and Neji came a few minutes after them, everyone else was already at the dining hall at their usual table. Neji looked a bit flustered while Tenten was laughing.

When Neji sat down, Naruto snickered, "Why is your hair in a braid, Neji? Or should I call you Neji-_chan_, since you've turned into a girl now?"

It was true, Neji's long hair that was usually tied into a low ponytail trailing down his back, was now in a braid.

Neji glared at him, "Hn." He pointed to Tenten, "Ask her."

Tenten smiled cheekily, "Neji-kun's hair is like that because I beat him in a video game. The deal was that if I won, I could make him do anything I wanted."

"You didn't have to make me put my hair in a braid." Neji grumbled.

Tenten laughed, "It looks good!" She defended.

Neji sighed and rolled his eyes, "I'm taking it out soon."

"Awwww." Tenten whined, "Please don't Neji-kun."

"Hn. Whatever."

Just then, a guy came to their table, "Hey," He said in a "seductive" voice to Neji who froze, "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around. Anyway, do you want to-"

He stopped mid sentence when Neji turned around, death-glaring him to the gates of hell and back, while slightly blushing.

"N-Neji-sempai?" He whimpered, blushing and afraid. He ran off to his own table then.

Tenten, Temari, Ino, Naruto and Kiba started laughing hysterically. Shikamaru and Sasuke smirked, while Hinata giggled at her cousin's humiliation. Sakura smiled and laughed slightly.

Neji glared at Tenten, "You're lucky you're cute…and a girl." He murmured the last part quietly.

Tenten stuck her tongue out at him.

Naruto snickered again. Since he was sitting next to Neji, he heard what he said, "Hey, apparently to the other male population at this school, you are too." He said, punching him playfully on the shoulder.

Neji glared at him too, making Naruto shift over to Hinata who was on his other side, sticking as close as possible to her, quite literally.

"Told you!" Tenten said to Temari.

Temari sighed and handed the girl $10, "I never thought that a guy would actually try to flirt with your boyfriend." She mumbled.

Tenten smirked at her.

The rest of the dinner went by as usual. Sakura was talking and laughing more to the delight of her friends.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Sakura called. They were outside, after dinner, taking a walk in the slightly cool air, holding hands.

"Hm?" Sasuke turned to her.

"How did you deal with…the death of your parents?" She slowly asked.

Sasuke froze, "U-Um, let's talk about this in our dorm room. It's also getting dark."

They both went to their dorm room to find Hinata and Naruto on the couch, playing cards.

When Sasuke and Sakura walked in, Naruto said, "YO! What's up teme and Sakura-chan?!"

Sasuke sighed, "You sound weirder than even Sak when you say 'yo.'"

Naruto pouted, "What's wrong with me trying to be cool?"

"Tch. Dobes can never be cool."

"Teme! I'm so gonna-" He stopped talking when Hinata spoke up.

"N-Naruto-kun, I think you're cool and-" She got cut off as well when Naruto glomped her, messing up their cards that were in between them.

"HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto screamed, holding onto her tightly, "YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"Dobe. Let go of her, she can't breathe." Sasuke interrupted.

Naruto looked at his girlfriend to see her turning slightly blue, "HINATA-CHAN! OH MY RAMEN! ARE YOU OKAY?"

Hinata nodded, catching her breath.

Naruto turned to Sakura and Sasuke, "You guys want to play cards with us?"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other. Sasuke knew that Sakura wanted to talk, but he also thought that it would be better if she got her mind off things for a while.

Sakura squeezed his hand lightly, letting him know that it's okay to play for a while.

Sasuke turned to his friend, "Sure."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"H-How did you know that Sakura-chan…" Naruto looked at the two, trying to decipher something, "YOU GUYS HAVE TELEPATHY POWERS!" He said, jumping up.

"What?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded, "DON'T DENY IT!"

"Dobe, what the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke said.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "How else would teme know that Sakura-chan would be fine to play? YOU DIDN'T COMMUNICATE!"

Sasuke sighed.

Sakura pursed her lips in amusement, "Naruto, I sure you. Sasuke and I do not have telepathic powers."

Naruto scoffed, plopping back down on the couch, "Suuuuuuuure." Then his eyes gleamed up, "YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT THE ELDERS TO KNOW THAT PART OF THE HUMAN RACE KNOWS ABOUT YOUR SOCIETY!"

"You really are a dobe." Sasuke said.

"AM NOT!" Naruto defended, "I'M JUST SAYING HOW YOU AND SAKURA-CHAN HAVE POWERS, AND I, UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE KING OF RAMEN, HAVE FIGURED IT OUT!"

Sakura went over to Naruto and kicked him in the shin, making him shut up.

"OWWWWIEEEE!" He howled.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Sakura screamed at him.

"O-Okay." He said, crawling over to Hinata.

Sakura sighed, "Geez Naruto!" She rolled her eyes, "Come on, Sasuke, let's play."

Sasuke nodded and sat down beside Sakura.

"WE SHOULD PLAY IN TEAMS!" Naruto exclaimed.

After deciding what to do, in the end, it was girls vs. boys.

"Let's go, S-Sakura-chan!" Hinata said.

Sakura nodded and high-fived Hinata, "Yeah!"

"LET'S SHOW THEM WHO'S BOSS, TEME!" Naruto said to Sasuke, holding up his hand for a high-five too.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, then his hand and then to Sakura, "Why did you have to put me on a team with the dobe?"

Naruto pouted, putting his hand down in a dejected manner.

After many card games, Sakura and Hinata won every single one.

"You usarantonkichi! You're not supposed to show them your cards!" Sasuke said to Naruto.

"But I need help!" Naruto countered.

Sasuke gave him a 'what-the-hell' look, making Naruto give Sasuke a sheepish look.

"Dobe." Sasuke said.

"Teme!" Naruto said back.

"Hn. Dobe, at least I don't show _the other team_ my cards!"

"AGH! YOU ANGER ME SO MUCH! YOU REALLY ARE A TEME!"

Sakura and Hinata watched this fight and then looked at each other. They both burst out laughing.

"H-How are they best friends?" Sakura asked, between laughter.

"I-I have no idea, Sakura-chan." Hinata concurred.

"Hmph!" Naruto said, turning away from Sasuke, his nose in the air, eyes closed and arms crossed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior.

"Um, guys?" Sakura asked, making both males look at her, "Can we continue the game?"

"Hn, I'm not continuing with this dobe on my team." Sasuke said.

Naruto growled, "AND I AM NOT CONTINUING WITH THIS _TEME_ ON MY TEAM EITHER!"

Sakura sighed, "Fine. Let's start a new game."

Hinata nodded, "N-Naruto-kun, you can be me with me…if you want, that is."

Naruto's anger washed away and he leapt over the small coffee table that was dividing the two teams and hugged Hinata once again, "YAY!"

Sasuke smacked his forehead, "Why the hell do you act like a girl?"

"WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE AN ASS?!" Naruto retorted.

Sasuke was about to say something when Sakura gave him a look, making him shut up.

Hinata gasped, "U-Um…N-Naruto-kun…I can't really…breathe…when you're on top…of me like this."

Naruto looked down, seeing Hinata under him, blushing, "I'M SORRY, HINATA-CHAN!" He helped her up and apologized again.

Then Naruto looked at Sasuke, "HINATA-CHAN AND I WILL BEAT YOU!"

Sasuke scoffed, settling into an armchair, "As if."

Naruto nodded confidently. Then, he and Hinata both sat in the other arm chair, across from the one Sasuke was sitting in. They were really close and kind of squished, but they didn't mind.

Sakura settled herself in between Sasuke's legs on the armchair that he was sitting in and then they started playing.

* * *

"ONE MORE TIME, TEME!" Naruto exclaimed for about the tenth time that Friday night.

"Naruto," Sakura started, stopping when she yawned, leaning back on Sasuke's chest. She closed her eyes, "It's like one A.M., we should really get to sleep. And Hinata-chan looks like she is going to fall asleep at any moment now."

Hinata opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly from her previous position. She had dozed off slightly in the middle of the last game, her head on top of her folded hands while they were resting on the table in between the two teams.

"Mmhhmmm." She mumbled something inaudible, making Naruto smile at her cuteness.

"AWWW! HINATA-CHYYAAAN! I'LL TAKE YOU TO YOUR ROOM IF YOU WANT!" Naruto screamed.

Sasuke flinched at his loud voice, "Why the hell are you so loud, even at one A.M.?"

Naruto glared at Sasuke for a while before rolling his eyes, then gently picked up his girlfriend in his arms, ignoring her protests that she could walk by herself and carried her back to her own dorm room.

"You know, Naruto can be sweet in his own ways." Sakura said to Sasuke.

Sasuke nuzzled his nose in her hair, murmuring something that Sakura couldn't understand.

Sakura giggled sleepily anyway, "We should get to sleep too."

Sasuke groaned and wrapped his arms around Sakura, "Can we fall asleep here?"

"I kind of want to." Sakura said, closing her eyes and snuggling more up to Sasuke. Then she sighed, "But we shouldn't, so come on." She squirmed out of Sasuke's arms and hopped up. She held out her hand for Sasuke, who took it as support.

"Fine." He lazily said.

Naruto came back soon, "THIS WAR IS NOT OVER, TEME!"

"Whatever dobe." Sasuke said.

Naruto "hmphed" and went to his room, falling asleep soon.

"Goodnight." Sasuke said to Sakura, leaning on the her doorframe to her bedroom.

Instead of saying "Goodnight" to Sasuke, she said, "Can we sleep together?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and a dark hue of red came on his cheeks, "U-Um, Sakura. I-I, um, I know we're dating and all, but-"

Sakura punched him on the arm, "EW! No, not like that!" She huffed, blushing even more than Sasuke "I meant just like, next to each other." She shrugged slightly, looking away, "Somehow I feel like that when you're next to me, I feel safer and also, nightmares don't really come when you're around."

Sasuke smirked and leaned closer to her, "I guess I'll just have to be with you all the time then."

Sakura blushed and nodded, "I would like that."

Sasuke kissed Sakura softly and then they both went into their separate rooms to change into pajamas.

Afterwards, Sakura went into Sasuke's room. They both laid down on Sasuke's bed and wrapped their arms around each other, falling asleep right away.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**DON'T KILL ME! I know that it was kind of just like BANG, but that's how life is, you never know what's going to happen. So...sorry? Review! PLEASE!**


	18. Chapter 18: Back Again

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter 18:

Sasuke and Sakura woke up at around 8:00 on the Saturday morning, in the same position.

"Good morning." Sakura said, still sleepy.

"Good morning." Sasuke's muffled reply came.

"I don't feel like getting up." Sakura stated after a minute.

Sasuke smirked, "You read my mind."

"But I don't feel like falling asleep again either."

Sasuke opened one eye to look at her, "Then just lay here."

Sakura didn't say anything for the longest time. She looked over at Sasuke, who had his eyes closed, but wasn't sleeping. She put her head on his chest, "Sasuke?"

"Hm?" He mumbled.

"Can you answer my question from yesterday?"

"What question?" He didn't remember since he was still kind of sleepy.

Sakura closed her eyes, "Where I asked you about how you dealt with the…death of your parents." She bit her lip, waiting for him to respond.

"Ah." He said, he didn't say anything else. Sakura didn't say anything either, knowing he was probably coming up with a response.

After a while, Sasuke said, "I didn't."

"What do you mean?" Sakura reopened her eyes.

She heard Sasuke sigh, "For the longest time time, I didn't speak. I didn't know where to go, so eventually I decided coming here would be better, so I didn't have to take care of a house all by myself. I…I was confused, how to feel I mean. Of course, I cried, but…after a while, I felt like I was getting tired of crying and I wanted to do something, something that would make my parents proud. I used to visit their graves each day, but I never cried after that, knowing that they wouldn't be happy if I did."

Sakura closed her eyes while listening to this, she could feel his deep voice resonating in his chest under her head. She could hear his steady heartbeat.

"So what I am supposed to do?" She asked after some time.

Sasuke put a hand on her head, ruffling her hair a bit, "Whatever you think would make your parents proud of you."

Sakura lifted her head of his chest and looked at him, "How do you always know what to say?"

Sasuke shrugged and hugged her when she came closer to him.

"Thanks for being there for me." Sakura mumbled against his shoulder.

Sasuke smirked, "Thanks for coming to me. It means a lot to know that you know that you can count on me."

Sakura smiled, closing her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. She intertwined their hands and Sasuke let his head rest on top of hers.

They stayed in that position for a while before they both got up, ready to start the day.

The day went by as usual but then at lunch, Kiba stated, "You know, guys, we really haven't done anything together in a long time."

Lee nodded, "Indeed, my youthful friend! We have not expressed our youth enough!"

"Lee…just shut up, please." Kiba said.

Lee pouted, "But talking is very youthful!"

"Lee…" Kiba warned.

Tenten laughed at them, "Guys, calm down. But seriously, we really haven't done anything as a group in a while."

Temari nodded, agreeing, "Yeah. But what do you guys want to do?"

A silence went over the table until Tenten gasped, catching everyone's attention, "CAN WE GO SKYDIVING?!"

Temari gasped too, "OH MY GOD, YES!" She said, "THAT IS PERFECT!"

They both high-fived and started talking about the plans when Neji spoke up, "Um, Tenten. I think you have to be 18 to go skydiving." **(A/N: I don't really know if this is true or not, but I'm too lazy to look it up, so that's the rule in this world.)**

"Awwww." Tenten whined.

Temari decided to cheer her up, "We can go bungee jumping!"  
"OH MY GOSH, YES!" Tenten screamed.

Sakura giggled a bit, "Um, guys. Do you want me to go in another coma?"

They both stopped talking and started laughing after realizing what Sakura said,

"Oh come on, Sakura." Tenten started, "These things are not _that_ dangerous."

Sakura looked at them with a look that said, "Really?"

Temari and Tenten both smiled sheepishly.

"U-Um, can we do something that is not l-life threatening?" Hinata said, pushing her fingers nervously together. She was still blushing because Naruto had insisted on feeding her lunch, making her blush and protest, to which he didn't pay attention to.

"Yeah, I really wouldn't want to mess up my nails. I just got them done." Ino said.

Sakura, Temari and Tenten looked at her.

"No one cares about your nails, Ino." Tenten stated.

Temari and Sakura nodded too.

Ino gasped, "Well, I do! They are my precious babies! Well, besides my shoes, clothes, makeup, nailpolish, hair prod-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Temari, Tenten and Sakura said, making Ino stop talking and stick her tongue out at them.

"G-Guys. W-We should respect what Ino-chan likes. Even if she likes the stereotypical girl things, it doesn't make her any less of a person," Hinata said.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan! That was very sweet!" Ino beamed. '

"You do have a point Hinata-chan," Temari agreed.

Tenten and Sakura nodded.

Naruto was amazed at how much of nice person his girlfriend was. He glomped Hinata, making them fall onto the floor, "HINATA-CHYAAAAAN! YOU'RE SO SWEET AND CARING! YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY!"

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata squeaked.

Naruto hugged her more, making her face resemble a tomato.

"N-Naruto-kun, c-could you get off…of me now? T-This is not exactly the most c-comfortable situation." She said.

It was true though. To the other people in the cafeteria, it might have looked strange or wrong. Naruto _was _on top of Hinata, hugging her to death.

"Heh." Naruto said, hastily getting off, ignoring the glare that Neji sent his way. Naruto offered his hand to Hinata who took it and got up.

Once they were seated, Tenten said, "So…what do you guys want to do?"

Many people shrugged.

No one said anything for the longest time until Tsunade's voice came over the loudspeaker, "HELLO STUDENTS!" She boomed over the speaker.

Everyone cringed, her voice was really loud.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune's, Tsunade's assistant, voice came faintly over the speaker as well, "Your voice is too loud, and the speaker volume is on full!"

"OH!" Tsunade said, then her voice became a bit softer, "OKAY, STUDENTS! FOR RAISING MONEY TO DONATE TO THE CHARITY WE ALWAYS HELP OUT, WE'RE HAVING A CAR WASH! ALL THAT WOULD LIKE TO HELP OUT, GO TO THE MAIN OFFICE AND SIGN UP! THE CAR WASH WILL BE IN TWO HOURS!" Then, the loudspeaker went off and all was silent, before the regular chatter of the cafeteria picked up soon enough.

"Well, I guess we found out what we're going to do, right?" Kiba said.

"NOOOO! BUT MY NAILS!" Ino whined, "IT'S GOING TO GO TO WASTE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I SPENT ON THEM!"

Ino turned to Kiba, "KIBA-KUUUUUUUN!" Ino complained, "NOW MY NAILS ARE GOING TO GET MESSED UP!"

Kiba personally didn't care, but he knew if he said that to Ino, he would get punched, "Um, okay?" He said unsurely.

"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?!"

"I-Ino-chan, you can wear gloves, if that would make you feel better." Hinata said, saving Kiba from getting hurt, for which he smiled at her gratefully.

Naruto hugged Hinata again, "YOU ALWAYS HAVE A SOLUTION!"

"N-Naruto-kun!" She said, trying to breath.

"THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO SHOW OUR YOUTH TO THE YOUTHFUL UNIVERSE!" Lee stated.

"Aww, dang it, I wanted to go skydiving." Tenten muttered.

Temari sighed, "Yeah."

"This is too troublesome, I'm not going." Shikamaru said, closing his eyes and leaning back.

Temari whipped around to him, "Oh yes, you are, lazy-ass!"

Shikamaru opened an eye, "Must you call me a 'lazy-ass,' even when we're in a relationship?"

Temari huffed, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

"Tenten, you really need to calm down." Neji said.

Tenten stuck her tongue out at him, "Why? You don't want to go skydiving?"

Neji sighed, "I also don't want to die."

"WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK YOU'RE GOING TO DIE IF YOU GO SKYDIVING?!"

Neji looked at her and sighed, shaking his head, "You're so crazy."

Tenten grinned, "And I'm proud of it!"

"I'll go call your therapist for you," Neji muttered.

"OH MY GOSH NEJI-KUN. YOU TRULY ARE THE BEST BOYFRIEND EVER!" Tenten hugged him.

"Huh?" Sakura asked.

Tenten was about to speak when Sakura shook her head and held up her hand, stopping Tenten from speaking, "Never mind." She said, "I don't think I want to know."

"So are you going to do the car wash?" Sasuke asked Sakura.

Sakura shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. I mean, everyone else is."

"Okay, then I will too." Sasuke said.

Sakura nodded.

After everyone had finished eating, they all went to the main office to sign up. Once they all signed up, they went to their own dorm rooms to get changed into something that they didn't care if it would get wet.

About 2 hours later, they were all in the school parking lot. All the girls, even Hinata, who Ino had managed to convince, were wearing shorts and an old t-shirt of all different colors. They boys were wearing old shorts and t-shirts too.

"OKAY, STUDENTS!" Tsunade said. She wasn't even using a microphone, but her voice was still heard to the thirty or so students there. "YOU CAN FORM A GROUP OF 2 OR 3 AND PICK A STATION! THEN YOU CAN START WASHING THE CARS WITH THE MATERIALS PROVIDED!"

Sasuke and Sakura decided to go one, Naruto dragged Hinata to another one, Temari dragged, literally, Shikamaru to a different one while Tenten pranced to one next to Temari's while Neji followed slowly behind. Kiba had to convince Ino to go to one too.

Each station had 2 hoses, a bucket, sponges and soap.

**~ Sasuke &amp; Sakura ~ **

After washing two cars, Sakura suddenly got an idea when Sasuke bent over to fill their bucket with more water. She smiled and took the hose from the side from where it was resting and aimed at Sasuke. She sprayed him in the butt, making him jump and turn around.

"Sak, what the hell was that for?" Sasuke said.

Sakura laughed nervously, "I felt like it?"

"You felt like spraying me in the butt with water?"

Sakura nodded, "Um, yeah?"

She turned to run when she saw Sasuke chasing after her. She squealed when he got some water and threw it at her too with the other hose.

He chased her around the car many times before he finally caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her.

"Caught you." He said, panting slightly.

"You did." Sakura said, breathlessly.

She turned around in his embrace and kissed him, but they broke apart when they heard, "UCHIHA! HARUNO! ARMS DISTANCE, YOU TWO! THIS IS A FUNDRAISER, NOT AN INTIMATE MAKEOUT SESSION!" Tsunade called out, making them both blush and back away from each other a bit.

Tsunade nodded, satisfied at the distance between them and turned around to do work.

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other and Sakura started laughing while Sasuke smirked.

"God." Sakura said, "Come on, let's finish this before we get yelled at some more."

"Okay." Sasuke kissed her cheek and went to go fill the bucket with some more water, keeping a wary look on Sakura to make sure she wouldn't try and spray him somewhere else this time.

**~ Naruto &amp; Hinata ~ **

"N-Naruto-kun, you're supposed to wet the car before you start washing it." Hinata said.

Naruto looked at her, then the car and then scratched the back of his head, "Oh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Hehe."

He sprayed the car, but since he didn't notice Hinata standing there, Hinata got wet too.

"Ahh!" She screamed, surprised at the sudden cold water being sprayed on her.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto said, "OH MY RAMEN! I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO AND-"

He stopped talking when cold water was shot at his face, followed by a giggle.

He looked extremely surprised and gaped at Hinata, the culprit for shooting him in the face.

"Was that you?" Naruto asked, still in shock. He never believed Hinata would do something like that.

Hinata nodded, then got a worried expression on her face, "I-It didn't hurt you, right?"

Naruto laughed, shaking his head, he said, "No, Hinata-chan, I just never thought that you would do that."

Hinata smiled slightly, laughing, "Well, it's kind of fun shooting you in the face, N-Naruto-kun."

"Hehe. Just make sure that it's water," Naruto said

She laughed and sprayed him once more, making him jump.

Then he glared at her mockingly, "I'll get you for that!" He teased.

He chased after her with his own hose. The two ran around, spraying each other with water, laughing.

After a while, they both stopped, panting since they were out of breath. They both looked at each other and laughed again.

"That was fun." Naruto stated, sitting down on one of the chairs next to the car.

Hinata nodded, sitting next to him, "But now I'm really tired."

They sat in silence before Hinata said, "We should get back to cleaning the car, not each other, before Tsunade-sama gets angry."

Naruto nodded too, "Yeah. Trust me, you don't want to see Tsunade-obaa-chan get mad!"

Hinata giggled and they started to clean the car in between them once again.

**~ Neji &amp; Tenten ~ **

"I bet I can wash more cars then you can, Neji-kun." Tenten said when she reached the stations.

Neji smirked, "Tch. Yeah right."

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure." Neji answered, just as confident as his girlfriend.

"Okay, what's the conditions?"

"You pick mine and I'll pick your's."

"Okay." Tenten said, then she smirked, "If I win, you have to buy whatever I want at the weapon's store."

Neji's eyes widened, "Anything?" He knew how much she loved weapons, or all pointy and sharp things for that matter and he knew that she would save up a bunch of money _just_ for buying weapons…He would be broke!

"_Anything._" Tenten repeated.

"Fine." Neji said. "But when I win," Tenten noticed how Neji said "when" not "if," making her scowl, "_You_ have to wear a skirt for the rest of the week. "

Tenten narrowed her eyes at him, "Fine." She spat out after thinking for a while.

They shook hands and Neji went to another station that was right next to Tenten's. Then, they both furiously started washing cars, not wanting to lose the bet.

**~ Shikamaru &amp; Temari ~ **

Temari had witnessed the bet between the couple and then she started laughing at the sight of them both washing cars as if their life depended on it. "They sure are a weird couple." Then she looked at Shikamaru, who was sitting on the chair, or more specifically, sleeping. She sighed, _But_ _not weirder than Shikamaru and I. _Temari thought.

She took a soapy sponge and chucked it at Shikamaru. It smacked him right on the face, making his eyes shoot open and him fall out of the chair.

Temari laughed at her boyfriend.

Shikamaru slowly got up, "Tch. Troublesome woman."

"Excuse me? This 'troublesome woman' is also your _girlfriend_, lazy-ass! Why don't you show some courtesy?!"

"Eh. I would, but it's too trouble-"

"IF YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE, I _WILL_ NOT HESITATE TO CASTRATE YOU!" **(A/N: THE LOVE IS IN THE AIIRRRRRRRRR. LOL.)**

Shikamaru looked at Temari to see if she was kidding or not, but she wasn't.

He didn't finish his favorite word and just nodded, knowing his girlfriend was serious. "O-Okay."

"Now, would you, I don't know, HELP ME?!"

"Whatever."

Temari gave him a look and he rolled his eyes, picking up the sponge that had hit him in the face and started to wash the car, while muttering "troublesome."

**~ Kiba &amp; Ino ~**

"Kiba-kuuuun." Ino said.

"Yeah?" Kiba replied.

"What if the water leaks through my gloves and messes up my nails?!" Then Ino gasped dramatically, "AND WHAT IF MY SKIN GETS ALL PRUNEY BECAUSE OF THAT?!"

Kiba rolled his eyes, but Ino didn't notice, "Look, Ino. Water can't just leak through gloves. Your nails and your skin are going to be fine."

Ino pouted, "You never know."

**Sasuke &amp; Sakura ~**

_Damn, it's getting hot. _Sasuke thought, sweat forming on his forehead, wiping it away with the back of his hand. He took off his shirt and tossed it on the nearby chair.

He heard a slight squeal behind him and he turned around, hoping it wasn't a fangirl. Then again, there weren't that many fangirls here, not wanting to get their nails or clothes dirty.

Instead of a fangirl, he saw Sakura, but she was turned around, not looking at him.

"Sak? You okay?" Sasuke said.

"I-I-I'm fine." Her voice was a little higher than usual, and she was blushing, "L-Let's c-c-continue washing the muscles-I-I mean the c-cars."

Sasuke smirked, seeing her bright red face when she slightly turned around, now knowing why she was acting the way she was.

He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her, making her stiffen and blush more, "Tsunade-sama isn't here right now, right, Sa-ku-chan?" He said her name slowly and Sakura just about died hearing her name just roll off his tongue, it sounded so perfect!

"S-S-Sasuke, u-um, even if she i-isn't here, w-we should continue to wash the cars."

Sasuke smirked, he leaned closer to her ear, "Shouldn't we take this time to be together?" He smirked more, loving watching Sakura's face get redder and redder.

"S-Sasuke!"

Sasuke spun Sakura around, "You know I'm only kidding, right?"

Sakura's face looked redder, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was hoping he wasn't, "Y-Yeah, I know."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and looked at her skeptically, "Was little Sakura thinking naughty thoughts in here." He poked her forehead.

Sakura blushed, looking away, "N-No."

"Pft. Yeah, right." He smirked and released her, "You're such a pervert."

Sakura gaped at him, "I am _not_ a pervert!"

"Are too."

"AM NOT!"

"Then why were you thinking those things?" He teased.

"S-Shut up!" Sakura said, she picked up her sponge and started washing the car furiously, all the while still blushing.

Then she felt arms wrap gently around her waist and Sasuke nuzzling her neck, "Sorry."

She sighed and turned around, "I'm not mad, just…irritated."

Sasuke smirked, "Well then, don't be."

"Okay."

They kissed and as soon as their lips touched, Sasuke's phone rang, he had a message.

Sighing, he let go of Sakura who just giggled. He dug into his pocket to find his phone. Pulling it out, he opened the text message he got.

His eyes widened while reading it and he dropped his phone in shock.

_Sasuke, _

_Meet me tomorrow at the park near your school, at noon. We need to talk about some things, I think you're ready to hear the truth. Come alone, foolish, little brother. _

_\- Itachi_

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**PLOT TWIST! HEHEHE! I'll update sooner this time! Review? Please? **


	19. Chapter 19: Goodbye?

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS IS SO LATE! DON'T KILL ME! SCHOOL IS FREAKING HARSH, OKAY?! I probably going to update every two weeks with 2 chapters so yeah. Sorry! BUT I HAVE 41 REVIEWS NOW, I WAS LIKE "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" **

**Without further ado, chapter 19. **

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Chapter 19:

_Sasuke, _

_Meet me tomorrow at the park near your school, at noon. We need to talk about some things, I think you're ready to hear the truth. Come alone, foolish, little brother. _

_\- Itachi _

Sasuke dropped his phone to the ground after reading the message, startling Sakura in the process. Sakura saw that his breathing was labored and held his shoulders to keep him steady.

"S-Sasuke?!" She called, "What happened?" She lead and seated him in the chair next to the car and ran over to retrieve his fallen phone.

Picking it up and turning it back on, she read the message Sasuke had just gotten. Her eyes widened while reading it and she slowly turned to Sasuke, "Sasuke, i-isn't I-Itachi your brother?"

Sasuke nodded absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving the ground. He was thinking of so many things. _Why is he contacting me now? How did he know I was here? How did he get my number? What does he want with me?_ All these questions ran through Sasuke's mind, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer, just like always.

Sakura bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Then hesitantly, she looked at her boyfriend, "Sasuke…Are you…going to go?"

Sasuke's eyes lifted to look at Sakura's worried expression. He shrugged slightly, "I don't know."

Just then, Naruto and Hinata came running over. "Hey guys!" Naruto screamed, "We finished washing all the cars that were at our station so we thought we would come help you!"

His smile faltered once he saw Sasuke and Sakura's expression.

"S-Sakura-chan? Sasuke-kun? What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

Sakura licked her dry lips and looked over at Sasuke who nodded ever so slightly, to let her know that it was fine to tell them.

Sakura took a breath and turned to Naruto and Hinata, who wearing confused expressions. "S-Sasuke just got a text message and, um…well, here." She handed Hinata Sasuke's phone and Naruto peered over his girlfriend's shoulder to read the text message.

Hinata gasped slightly when she read it, she knew about the murder of Sasuke's parents, with what being Sasuke's best friend's girlfriend.

Naruto's eyes widened after he finished scanning the words before dangerously narrowing. His usually cheerful expression wore away and he growled. He turned to Sasuke, "You're not going, are you?" He asked.

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke!" He said. Naruto never said Sasuke's real name, preferring to call him "teme" or "ass" instead, but when he did, it was usually because of something serious.

Sasuke looked up at this, somewhat surprised, then he looked back at the ground, hands clenching into fists, "Well, Naruto? What am I supposed to do?!"

"Um, I don't know, maybe not go?!" Naruto replied sarcastically.

"You know as well as I do that that's not an option, Naruto!" Sasuke defended.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sasuke! You're not thinking! This is _Itachi_, a murderer! You could get seriously hurt!"

Sakura gasped at this, she hadn't even thought of that. What if Sasuke _di_d get hurt? What would she do?

Sasuke stood up, "I know how to defend myself and besides, I don't care if I get hurt. I just want that bastard of a human to be gone, for good now, so he can't ruin my life anymore."

"S-Sasuke." Sakura spoke up. She wasn't looking at him, but Sasuke could tell by her voice that she was on the verge of crying, "Y-You might not care if you get hurt, but what…what about me?" She looked at him, anger building up inside of her, "What the hell would I do if you hurt?! Huh?! Did you ever think of that?"

"Sakura-" Sasuke tried to interrupt.

Sakura ignored him, "Do you ever think that I would be able to live on, knowing that I let you go and get killed?! Naruto's right! You're not even thinking about the consequences or the possibilities of what could happen!"

"Sakura-" Sasuke tried again.

"You're not being the regular, calm and _rational_ Sasuke I know!" Unwanted tears

spilled over her cheeks, making Sasuke's glare soften and look down.

"But I have to go, I have so many questions that I haven't had the answers to for almost _6 years_." He said softly.

Sakura sighed, "T-Then, I'll go with you." She decided.

Sasuke's head whipped up to look at her, "Are you crazy?! You could get hurt! Then what would _I_ do?! I'm going alone and-"

"I'm going too." Naruto said.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" Sasuke said, "What do you guys not understand? This is between me and Itachi! This doesn't concern any of you, you'll just get hurt if you come along-"

"No, Sasuke." Sakura said, "If we all go together, then we can protect you while you protect us. You'll be safer and you won't have to be alone. Just stop acting all tough for once and let us protect you." She reasoned, walking towards Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. He opened them again when he felt arms wrap around his torso. Looking down, he saw a head of pink hair and he relaxed, hugging her back.

Sasuke then realized that this _would_ be way easier having his girlfriend and best friend by his side and hugged her tighter, silently letting her know that he agreed. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Hinata looked down, she was confused. She didn't know whether to go or not. She felt awkward and excluded and just as she was about to say something, Naruto turned to her.

"Hinata-chan. I know that you're going to say that you are coming along too, but I can't-no, I _won't_ let you do that." Naruto said.

Hinata looked at him, confused, "N-Naruto-kun, what do you mean? Why?"

He put his hands on her shoulders, "I can't risk letting you get hurt, you mean everything to me and I couldn't stand thinking that you might be…killed if you come."

"B-But, Naruto-kun, what about you? I don't want you to get hurt either. I-I couldn't stand that either!" Her voice wavered, but she refused to let the tears that had collected in her eyes fall.

Naruto shook his head, smiling down at her, thinking once again how lucky he was to have such an amazing girlfriend, "As long as I know that you'll be waiting for me, it's more than enough to definitely come back. To come back to you."

Hinata blushed, "N-Naruto-kun." She whispered.

She hugged him tightly and he hugged her too.

After they let go of each other, they all saw Tenten and Neji walking

towards them. Tenten looked pissed, while Neji looked amused.

Then Sakura noticed that Tenten was wearing a skirt, which she never did, at least not willingly, "Tenten? Why are you-"

"Just shut up, Sakura, please." She responded.

Neji smirked, "She's wearing a skirt because I won a bet that we had, and if I won, that was the deal."

Tenten stomped her foot and punched him in the shoulder, "Yeah, well, it's not fair that you washed _one_ more car than me doesn't mean that you're better than me!"

"I never said that!" Neji countered, rubbing his shoulder.

"Whatever!" Tenten said, crossing her arms and turned away from Neji.

* * *

The day passed by quickly and soon it was Sunday.

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had talked late into the night about what they were going to do and decided to let Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba know too, just in case.

Neji and Kiba said that they were going to be nearby but they weren't going to interfere unless Sakura, Sasuke or Naruto said so. Shikamaru said it was too "troublesome" but came up with a plan using his intelligence for once.

Naruto had decided to spend the whole morning with Hinata, just in case if…something happened.

Near 11:30, Sakura started getting nervous feelings in her stomach, wondering what was going to happen to them.

Sasuke comforted her by hugging her and being with her, but it was mostly because he needed her there to hold too, to let him know that he wasn't alone in this.

"Sasuke." Sakura said, they were both cuddled up next to each other on her bed.

"Hm?" His muffled reply came.

"Are you scared?"

Sasuke lifted his head from where it was resting on Sakura's, "More than you ever know, but not about what you think I'm scared about."

Sakura looked at him, "Huh? What are you more scared about than seeing Itachi?"

Sasuke pulled her to him abruptly, making Sakura squeak in surprise. He snuggled as close as possible to her and whispered to her, "I'm scared about losing you."

* * *

Around 11:45, Sakura and Sasuke went to go get Naruto and when Sakura was about to knock on Hinata's door, Sasuke and Sakura heard Hinata crying, while Naruto comforting her.

"Hinata-chan, please, don't cry. How would I, the great Uzumaki Naruto, get hurt?" Naruto wiped away her tears, and kissed her cheek, "You're too pretty to cry."

"N-Naruto-kun, promise me…p-promise me that you'll come back." She said quietly, through sniffles.

Naruto kissed her softly and whispered against her lips, "I promise."

He hugged her tightly, pressing her small frame to him. Naruto took in her lavender smell, relishing the moment, hoping that it won't be the last.

After a while, they released each other and Naruto walked towards the door and with his back still turned to her, he said, "Hinata-chan?"

"Y-Yes?"

He turned around and smiled cheekily while blushing, "I think I might be in love with you." He scratched the back of his head.

Hinata gasped, more tears making their way down her pale face, "N-Naruto-kun."

"Goodbye." Naruto said, taking one last look at Hinata before walking out the door.

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto all walked to the park since it was so close to their school.

Sasuke and Sakura held hands the entire time, Naruto was on the other side of Sakura, a bit of distance between him and the couple. His head was turned to the sky, that had only some clouds in it not blocking the sun, proving that it indeed was May. His thoughts kept drifting back to Hinata. Her smile, her eyes, her kindness, her laugh, her touch, her blush, her giggle, her stutter, her voice, everything about her was adorable. Naruto sighed, thinking how wonderful she was, a true angel.

Neji and Kiba were close to the park, but not close enough to hear them if they were going to talk, but close enough to observe what would happen.

At exactly 12:00, they reached the park and Sasuke and Sakura sat down on the bench close together, while Naruto was pacing around.

"Stop pacing, idiot." Sasuke said after a while.

Naruto glared at his best friend, "How can I stop?! I mean, I'm so nervous! Who knows what could happen?!" He retorted.

Sasuke didn't say anything, knowing how the blonde felt, since he was feeling like that too. There was a weird feeling in his stomach, but it somehow seemed to lessen when Sakura linked their fingers together again in a reassuring manner.

Seconds later, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

His long, raven hair was tied into a low ponytail that was similar to Neji's, but just a bit shorter. He had piercing, coal eyes that seemed to have a tint of red to them. The person also wore a smirk on his face that rivaled Sasuke's usual one and he adorned a black t-shirt with a silver chain hanging from his neck. His dark, navy blue almost black jeans were tucked into black, laced up combat boots and his hands were stuffed into his pockets. Leaning a little to the left, his smirk grew when his eyes landed on Sasuke, "Hello, foolish, little brother." He said in a silky, low voice that would normally make Sakura swoon if she hadn't reminded herself that this was the person that basically ruined her boyfriend's life.

"I-Itachi." Sasuke breathed out, trying his hardest not to sound weak.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**FINALLY THEY MEET! SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT CHAPTER! REVIEW PLEAAAAAAAASEEEEEEE!**


	20. Chapter 20: Brothers Forever

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter 20:

"I-Itachi." Sasuke breathed out, trying his hardest not to sound weak.

Sasuke took a breath and he said in a stronger voice next time, "What did you want to talk with me about?"

Instead of answering his question, Itachi looked at Sakura and Naruto, "Why have you brought other people?"

"Answer me." Sasuke said, ignoring Itachi as well.

Itachi rolled his eyes at his impatient brother.

"Do you know how long I have waited to get answers to the so many questions that you left behind?" Sasuke growled.

Itachi smirked, "Is that any way to talk to your brother?"

"You're not worthy of being called a brother, you bastard!" Naruto screamed, "You've ruined Sasuke's life and you deserve to be killed!"

"N-Naruto, calm down." Sakura said quietly. She was frightened of Itachi, there was a deadly aura around him that made her feel small.

"Fine. You want answers?" Itachi said.

"Obviously." Sasuke answered.

"Then ask."

Sasuke hesitated, he hadn't expected Itachi to be so straightforward, "Okay.

Why'd you…have to kill M-Mom and Dad? I thought that we were a pretty happy family, then you decide to go and ruin it."

Itachi sighed, sitting down on another bench in the park, a bit away from where Sakura was sitting on another bench. Sasuke was standing in front while Naruto was leaning on a tree, glaring at Itachi.

"It's not like I wanted to." Itachi said after a while.

Sasuke looked at his "brother" with confused eyes, "W-What do you mean?"

"I was ordered to."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow, "Huh?"

Itachi sighed again, leaning against the back rest of the bench, his hair flowing over his eyes in the slight breeze. **(A/N: AHHHH! THAT MENTAL IMAGE IS JUST...ZOMG!) **"Dad and Mom were part of an organization, called Root. A lot of people in our family were."

"An organization?" Sasuke repeated, "What did they do in it?"

"Dad was the leader, mom being his assistant. They…trained kids from the Uchiha clan to become killers and eventually help take over the government."

Sasuke eye's widened, "W-What? Why?!"

Itachi closed his **(A/N: ****beautiful)** eyes, "Tch. Like I'd know. The Uchihas always were a strange and power-lusting clan." He allowed a small silence before he continued, "So, anyway, they were planning to make you join the Root as well, I already was."

"Wait, what? You were part of Root? How did I never know?"

Itachi smiled slightly, "You were a child, Sasuke, too naive to notice anything. My role was to make it seem like I was a perfect older brother and that we had a perfect family."

Sasuke looked away, had his whole life been a lie? "That still doesn't explain why you killed Mom and Dad."

"Tch. You're still naive."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I'm not naive, not anymore."

"Why else do you think I killed them? To stop the expansion of ANBU of course! There was another organization called ANBU and I was serving under them too."

Sasuke looked at Itachi, "You were a double agent?"

Itachi nodded, "Yeah, but Mom and Dad didn't know about it." He said, "So the leaders of ANBU asked me to kill the leaders of Root, which just so happened to be Mom and Dad."

"What? Why couldn't ANBU and Root settle it out between themselves, why did they have to get you involved?"

"Because I was working for them both, and no one would have suspected a member of the Uchiha clan itself to kill one another."

Sasuke didn't answer so Itachi continued.

"Right before I did, they said they understood, and they told me to take care of you."

Sasuke snorted, "Yeah, you sure took care of me, all right. Leaving me on my own, never contacting me, some great brother you were!"

"See? You are still naive. I did it to protect you! You were about to become part of Root too, Sasuke! Do you know how much burden you would have had if you had to pick either to do what was right or what Mom and Dad would have expected?!'

Sasuke looked down.

"You don't know how terrible it was Sasuke. I wanted to protect you from that, so Mom and Dad couldn't corrupt my foolish, little brother."

Sasuke felt his eyes water, "But you couldn't tell me? Why couldn't Mom, Dad or you tell me anything about the Root or ANBU?" He looked at Itachi, "Why is it that you always keep things from me?!"

"Because I wanted your childhood to be normal." Itachi said softly, "Of course, that got ruined when you burst into the room after I killed Mom and Dad, but I really did. I thought that you deserved that. You always used to smile and laugh, and it made me happy, knowing that I was the reason for that."

"Itachi." Sasuke said, "Why'd you wait this long to tell me?"

Itachi shrugged, "You were still too foolish and little."

Sasuke smirked a little.

Itachi's small smile faltered and he looked down, "So do you forgive me?"

Sasuke's eyes softened and he nodded slightly, "Yeah. I do…onii-san."

Itachi froze, remembering how Sasuke always used to call him that when they were little and he smiled a bit, "Thanks. Maybe you're not as naive as I thought." He stood up, walking towards Sasuke as Sasuke walked towards him.

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair a bit and Sasuke gave a hint of a smile. Then, with some unspoken agreement, they hugged.

Sakura felt her eyes tear up at the brotherly affection as Naruto smiled at the two, knowing that Itachi wasn't lying, the sincerity in his eyes was clear.

The two Uchihas released each other.

"Hey, can we go get some ramen?" Naruto said.

Sakura bonked him on the head, "Way to ruin the moment, Naruto!"

"Oww! Sakura-chan!" He whined, while rubbing his head.

Itachi's gaze turned towards Sakura and he smirked, lifting his eyebrows a bit. Then he got an idea. He walked over to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders, "And who do we have here?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, but she didn't say anything, not wanting to be rude to her boyfriend's older brother. "Sakura." She said. She wanted to make a good impression and she sighed, closing her emerald eyes.

"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ. Oh, it looks like I'm missing something. Oh right, you." **(A/N: My friend made this pickup line since I had no idea what to write and yes, I understand she's insane.) **Itachi said, while having the infamous Uchiha smirk plastered on his face.

Naruto and Sasuke both glared at Itachi, feeling overprotective of the girl.

Sakura was like Naruto's little sister and he cared for her.

Sasuke was also protective, with being her boyfriend and all. He also didn't like the fact that his older brother was trying to hit on _his_ girlfriend.

They both growled at him, making Itachi look at them innocently.

"What the hell, Itachi? First you kill our parents and now you're trying to steal my girlfriend?" Sasuke spat.

Itachi looked at his younger brother with a disbelieving look, "_Your_ girlfriend?" He figured that Sakura was his girlfriend, which is why he did his actions. He also loved to tease Sasuke, even when they were younger.

"Yeah, _my_ girlfriend." Sasuke said, walking over to them and putting his arms around Sakura's waist, tugging her gently out of Itachi's grasp and bringing her to his chest protectively.

Sakura pursed her lips to keep from laughing at Sasuke's sudden jealousy. It made her inwardly smile at how he cared for her, even though it was only his brother's pathetic attempts for a pickup line, or whatever the hell what he said was.

Sakura smirked slightly, she loved this side of Sasuke and she wanted to make him even more jealous, "You know, Sasuke, I'm not _yours_. I mean, like, I'm not property." She wiggled out of his grasp and stood next to Itachi, too close for Sasuke's liking. "Besides Itachi-_kun_ is much warmer and I'm cold."

Itachi pulled Sakura towards him, with a triumphant smirk. _I like this girl. She'll keep Sasuke in line._

Sasuke gaped at the two, before turning to Naruto to glare at the boy, who was hysterically laughing at the scene in front of him. After all, it's not every day you see your best friend being shown up by his girlfriend and his older brother. He fell to the floor, banging his fist on the ground. "Oh my ramen! TEME IS GETTING SHOWN UP BY HIS OWN BROTHER AND SAKURA-CHAN!" He started laughing more.

"Shut up, dobe!" Sasuke said to Naruto, before turning back to Sakura, who looked a bit too comfortable in Itachi's arms, "And it's also May, Sak. MAY! AND IT'S 75 DEGREES! HOW THE HELL ARE YOU COLD?"

Sakura just shrugged and leaned her head on Itachi's shoulder.

Sasuke growled, making Sakura and Itachi both burst out laughing.

"Oh god, Sasuke. You're so jealous." Sakura said.

Itachi nodded, releasing Sakura, "Foolish, little brother." He stated.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, turning away.

"It's already 1:00." Sakura said, looking at her watch.

"Really? No wonder I'm so hungry, I haven't had my ramen yet!" Naruto

exclaimed.

Sakura smacked her forehead, "Baka."

Naruto pouted, but then said, "HINATA-CHAN!" And he bounded off

towards the school, leaving Sakura, Sasuke and Itachi.

"Dobe." Sasuke said.

"He is, but come on, it's pretty cute." Sakura said to him.

Sasuke looked at her, then turned away, not saying anything.

"Sasuke. You're not _actually_ mad are you?"

"Hn." He grunted.

Sakura and Itachi looked at each other and Sakura rolled her eyes, walking over to her boyfriend. Putting her arms around his neck, she said, "Sorry. Forgive me?"

Sasuke looked into her pleading emerald eyes that were unresistable. He sighed, "Fine." He grabbed her waist, pulling it closer, "But only I'm allowed to keep you warm."

Sakura giggled, nodding, "Okay."

They heard a snicker and both of them turned to Itachi who was holding back a laugh, "Oh my God, who knew my kid brother could be so affectionate."

Sasuke blushed, "Onii-san!" He protested.

Sakura laughed, poking his nose, "I think it's cute."

"You're cuter." Sasuke said, kissing her cheek.

Sakura giggled again, "We should probably go save Hinata-chan, she's most likely being glomped by Naruto."

"Mm." Sasuke agreed.

"Well, I'll head off then." Itachi said, "Keep in touch, brother."

Sasuke nodded, "Wait. Where do you currently live?"

"With a friend, not too far from here, but it's a while away." Itachi answered.

"Ah." He paused, "I'll be sure to contact, onii-san."

Itachi nodded and turned to walk away, leaving Sakura and Sasuke behind. They watched him walk down the road until he disappeared around the corner.

"Want to head back?" Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded, grabbing her hand.

They walked silently, holding hands all the way back to the school.

* * *

"HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto screamed, bounding back to the school.

Naruto ran back to Konoha Boarding Academy and bounded up the stairs of the dorm room building.

Bursting the door open to Hinata's dorm room, he screamed, "HINATA-CHAN!" She was on the couch, reading a book, but her eyes were glazed over, like she was thinking of something, or someone.

She leapt up from the couch, "N-Naruto-kun." She ran over to him and he lifted her up, twirling her in the air a few times before setting her down.

"Hinata-chan." He whispered, then he kissed her passionately.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Hinata said, between kisses.

Naruto smiled, "I told you I would be."

Hinata smiled at him, then she looked away, blushing, "N-Naruto-kun, did you mean what you said before?"

Naruto held her chin so that she would look at him, "Hinata-chan. I meant what I said. But now, I don't think I love you, I _know_ that I love you."

"Naruto-kun. I-I love you too."

"Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled widely, picking her up in his arms again and kissing her harder than ever before.

She squealed and responded, but before they could continue, there was a knock at the door.

"C-Come in!" Hinata said, still blushing just as much as Naruto was.

"Hey!" Sakura said, entering with Sasuke.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, still holding Hinata's waist.

"Dobe." Sasuke said to him.

"Wha-Teme!" Naruto yelled back.

"Dobe."

Naruto glared at him, "TEME!"

"GUYS, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Sakura yelled. When they stopped screaming, she said, "Thank you. Now, can we go get some lunch, I'm starving!"

"YES! RAMEN!" Naruto yelled. He turned to his girlfriend, "COME ON, HINATA-CHAN! LET'S GO!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door.

"Tch, you don't even have the courtesy to ask Hinata if she wants to go, dobe." Sasuke said. "And don't just drag her along, you're supposed to do this." He lifted Sakura in her arms, earning a squeak from the unsuspecting girl. He smirked, "See?"

Naruto growled, "TEME! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE TO YOU!" He scooped up Hinata in his arms, making sure she was comfortable, even though her face was a tomato.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, "I-I can walk!"

"No need Hinata-chan! I'll take you there!" Naruto said, earning a happy beam from the girl.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and then the two best friends, without another word, raced down the stairs with their girlfriends in their arms.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**CUTE?! ISN'T IT? REVIEW FOR NARUHINA &amp; SASUSAKU FLUUFFFFF. IT'S SOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE! HEHEHE. SO MUCH HAPPENED THESE LAST TWO CHAPTERS SO PLEEEEEEEEEEEASSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE REVIEW! IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY! :) Review!**


	21. Chapter 21: Melting the Human Ice Cube

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**This is my first story, so it might suck (I'm sorry), but please review, it means a lot. Thanks!**

**HI GUYS! Sorry that it's been soooooo long. Just...school and life in general. But yeah...**

**Without further ado, here is the long awaited chapter! **

* * *

Chapter 21:

Days passed by and soon weeks did too.

Itachi and Sasuke's relationship was mending and slowly they started acting more sibling-like. Itachi used to come visit Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto sometimes and they all grew a strong bond.

Everyone, including Kiba and Naruto, but not Shikamaru, who was too lazy to, was studying for finals. Naruto and Hinata studied together every day for the rest of the months they had until the final, together. They sometimes did with Kiba and Ino too, they all wanted to do well.

Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Tenten and Temari studied together too. Shikamaru complained, but Temari made him review things, even if he was, somehow, a genius.

"Oh, ramen! Was that easy!" Naruto exclaimed, putting his hands behind his head and leaning against the tree behind him. They had just finished their second-to-last final.

"Tch. Dobe. You're lying. You probably thought it was the hardest thing ever." Sasuke stated, laying down in the grass nearby.

"Shut up, teme! And I'm not lying! It was so easy because Hinata-chan is the best teacher ever!"

Sasuke scoffed, "Yeah, right. I'm surprised she hasn't gone insane yet."

"HEY!"

Sakura and Hinata, who were eating nearby, heard yells and shook their heads at their boyfriends' behavior.

"But, Hinata-chan, I do agree with Sasuke, you really are a miracle worker." Sakura said.

Hinata blushed, "N-Not really, Naruto-kun's actually very smart if he concentrates hard enough."

Sakura smiled and got up from the picnic table they were sitting at. She looked at the two boys who were still bickering, smirking at them, "Come on, let's go over there before the two kill each other."

Hinata nodded and got up.

They threw out their trash and while they were walking together, Sakura side-glanced at her best friend who had a happy blush on her cheeks from the thought of being with Naruto again, "You really are in love, aren't you?"

Hinata blinked, startled, then blushed at what Sakura said, "I-I…" Then she smiled and nodded, looking down, "Yes. I am. I-I'm in love with N-Naruto-kun."

Sakura's eyes softened, "Aww!" She hugged her friend, "That's so adorable!"

"S-Sakura-chan!"

The two reached their boyfriends and Sakura went up to Sasuke, who had his eyes closed and his arms behind his head.

Sakura was about to say something, but then smirked. Without warning, she plopped on top of Sasuke's stomach making him grunt, his eyes flying open.

"Sak," He groaned.

"Yes?" Sakura sweetly replied, looking innocent.

"You're still not any lighter from before." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura punched his shoulder playfully and slid off of him, laying next to him.

Sasuke rolled on his side to look at his girlfriend who was staring at the almost cloudless June sky above them.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her close, "So how did you think you did on the final?" He mumbled against her hair.

Sakura instantly smiled, loving the smell of him, "I'm sure I did fine." She said, turning into him and closing her eyes, "You?"

Sasuke mumbled something incoherent that made Sakura laugh.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto said when he saw his girlfriend. He hopped up and took her into his arms, "Thank you _so_ much for studying with me! The test was _so_ easy!"

Hinata smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Anytime, Naruto-kun."

They both sat down against the tree Naruto was previously leaning on, close to each other and talked.

The next day, everyone went to go take their last final, which was about history, and afterwards, Naruto literally ran out of the room screaming, "FINALLY! IT'S OVER!" Then he went to go find Hinata who was in another testing room, probably so they could have ramen.

Tsunade just laughed at him and dismissed the rest of the students properly.

The whole group went to go hang out together, the girls talking more than ever having to catch up on a lot of things as they weren't able to do so before due to exams.

The boys played video games, except Shikamaru who lazily sat there.

* * *

On the last day of school, when Sakura was packing up, she suddenly realized something. How was she going to be able to stay alone in her parent's huge mansion? She didn't have any family left anymore.

Suddenly feeling down, tears came to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, reminding herself that she could work things out.

Then, she felt someone wrap their arms around her.

"Sak. What's wrong?" Sasuke whispered.

Sakura shook her head, "Nothing."

Sasuke looked at her, "Tell me."

Sakura looked down, "H-How… How am I going to stay alone in such a huge house by myself? Now that my parents gone, I-"

She got cut off when Sasuke suddenly kissed her. Responding eagerly, she forgot what she was about to say.

When they pulled away, Sasuke said, "You're staying with me then."

"What?" Sakura said. She shook her head, "No! I would be asking way too much, Sasuke! I'm not going to put that much of a burden on you."

"Sak."

"What?"

"Shut up." He simply stated, "You're staying with me and that's final."

Sakura blushed, still unsure of what to say.

"Okay?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded. She looked up at him, "You're so perfect, Sasuke. Thank you, for everything."

Sasuke smirked, shaking his head, he said, "Not as perfect as you." He leaned in for another kiss and closed the gap between their lips.

When it was time to leave, everyone said their goodbyes, promising to stay in touch with each other.

* * *

Sasuke shook Sakura gently, "Sak." He whispered, "Sak. We're here."

Sakura had fallen asleep on the long car ride to Sasuke's house.

Sakura opened her eyes sleepily, "S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded, "Come on, we're here." He said, pointing with his chin towards his house.

"Okay." Sakura quickly hopped out of the car to see Sasuke staring at something, "Sasuke?"

"What is that…" Sasuke trailed off.

Following his line of sight, Sakura saw a black motorcycle with red streaks on it. It looked familiar…

"Yo." Someone said.

Sasuke and Sakura both turned to look at Itachi, who was leaning in the doorway of the house, arms crossed and an ever-present smirk on his face.

"Itachi-kun!" Sakura exclaimed. She ran to the front door of the house and hugged Itachi tightly, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit my foolish, little brother." He replied, looping his arms around her waist softly.

They both looked at Sasuke who was scowling at how close _his_ girlfriend and Itachi were. Also, the fact that Sakura called Itachi "Itachi-kun" didn't help.

Sakura let go of Itachi and they all went inside the house.

"Your house is so beautiful!" Sakura announced.

Sasuke smirked at her, "It's _our_ house, now."

Sakura looked at him and blushed, knowing that he was serious.

"Ahem." Itachi cleared his throat, "It's my house too, you know."

"What?" Sasuke said.

Itachi smirked, "I'm going to be living here from now on."

"I thought you said you were _visiting_." He growled. He wanted the house for himself and his girlfriend, no one else.

Itachi shrugged, "I guess not anymore."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Itachi's expression turned a bit more serious, "I also need to take care of Mom and Dad's company."

"Huh?" Sasuke said, "I thought that was shut down."

Itachi shook his head, "No, up until now our uncle has been running it."

"Uncle?" Sasuke echoed.

"Not directly, but he is an Uchiha."

"Oh." Sasuke bit his lip, "Is he part of Root?"

Itachi shook his head again, "No."

"Ah." Sasuke looked at his brother, "So you're taking over the company then?"

Itachi nodded, "Yeah. Someday, if you want, you can too."

Sasuke nodded once.

A silence occurred.

"I'll go get the rest of our things." Sasuke stated.

"I'll help." Itachi agreed.

Once everything was brought inside, Sakura said, "Can I cook dinner?" She pleaded.

"Sure." Sasuke said.

"Yes!" She went into the kitchen and started making dinner.

* * *

After dinner, Sakura yawned, "I'm really tired. I'm going to go change."

Sasuke nodded, not taking his eyes off the TV.

Itachi was in "his room," calling someone, talking about the business.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's small voice called. She was changed into black shorts and a blue tank top. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and Sasuke thought that she never looked more beautiful.

"Y-Yeah?" Sasuke said, trying to control himself.

"Where do I sleep?" She said, suppressing a yawn.

"You can sleep either in the other guest bedroom, if you want." He replied.

Sakura shook her head tiredly, "I want to sleep with you."

Sasuke blushed, "U-Um, okay." He turned off the TV and got up. He then lead her to his room where they, after Sasuke changed into his night clothes, both fell asleep on Sasuke's spacious bed together, snuggling as close as possible.

* * *

The next morning, when Sasuke woke up, he felt cold. He reached for the blankets and pulled them closer around him, but it was still cold. Opening his eyes, he felt something was missing. Then, he noticed that Sakura wasn't there.

He got out of bed, rubbing his eyes and as he was walking down the stairs, he heard some sounds coming from downstairs.

Following the noises, he went into the kitchen. Upon entrance, he saw Sakura dancing around the kitchen while singing to the music playing from her phone. She was making breakfast.

Sasuke smirked at this, leaning against the doorway to keep watching her graceful movements. He could get used to this.

When Sakura turned around to get something from the fridge, she saw Sakura and gasped in surprise, "Sasuke! You scared the life out of me! You're such a creeper!"

"Sorry." Sasuke mockingly said.

Sakura shook her head and laughed, "Come and help me with breakfast, creep."

"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke said, pushing himself off the doorway.

* * *

"Is the blindfold really necessary?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura laughed, "Hey, you had me wear one for my birthday!" It indeed was Sasuke's birthday, July 23rd. Sasuke and Sakura had been living together in Sasuke's house since the start of summer, with Itachi, but he was almost always out of the house, having a lot of work to do. It was almost a month since the first day and they had grew closer, if possible.

Sasuke sighed in defeat and let Sakura lead him to somewhere. When she finally took off the blindfold, he noticed that he was in his room.

Sakura was smiling widely as she pointed to the long, sleek box on Sasuke's bed.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her but she just smiled and gestured at the box, silently telling him to open it.

Sighing, Sasuke unwrapped the wrapping paper and pulled out a navy, blue shiny box. "Sak, this looks like a-"

Sakura cut him off, "Just open it!"

He warily opened the box and stared at the contents, "S-Sakura."

Inside, was a dark red and black electric guitar. It had Sasuke's name written in fancy letters near a red dragon which was hand drawn on the body of the guitar, courtesy of Sakura, with Hinata's help as well.

"S-Sakura...t-this…" He trailed off, not being able to say anything.

"Yup! And I know you already have an amplifier, so there you go!" She squealed.

"Sak, you...you shouldn't have, this...it costs a _lot_ of money."

Sakura waved her hand carelessly, "Oh, whatever, you only turn 16 once!"

She was suddenly being hugged. "Thank you."

Her eyes widened before closing and hugging Sasuke back. "You're welcome."

Sasuke released her and kissed her softly before backing her up to the wall, deepening the kiss.

She responded instantly and when they broke apart, Sasuke hugged her again, whispering "thank you" into her ear many times.

Sakura smiled and hugged him tighter as well. Sasuke let go after a while and then Sakura said, "Come on, the others are waiting downstairs."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "The others?"

Sakura nodded excitedly, "But first, pack a swimsuit or something."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"Just do it!"

"Fine, fine."

Once he was done, Sakura got her own bag and took his hand, leading him down the stairs.

The lights were all off and when they both reached the last step, Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Temari and somewhat Shikamaru screamed, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!'

Sasuke smirked, "Thanks, guys."

"OH MY RAMEN, IT'S A MIRACLE! THE TEME SAID THANKS!" Naruto ran over to Sakura and bowed down dramatically, "THANK YOU!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and bonked him on the head.

"Okay, Sasuke. For your birthday, we're going to the...amusement park!" Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke smirked at her actions, "Okay."

Sakura, who had been learning how to drive, with the help of Sasuke, drove her car, that had been brought by Itachi from the school to the amusement park with all the girls.

Neji drove all the boys in his car. Kiba has brought his car too, since the both of them picked up everyone, but he decided to leave it at Sasuke's house.

"So…?" Ino asked once they had started driving. She leaned forward from the middle of the back seat.

Sakura glanced at her from the rearview mirror, seeing a smirk on her face. "So what?"

Ino wiggled her eyebrows, "How's it like living with _the_ Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Are you insinuating something, Ino-pig?"

Ino shrugged, "Maybe." She said slyly.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You're so perverted."

Temari laughed, "So...what was it like?"

Hinata blushed insanely and so did Sakura, "W-What?!" She spun around, seeing that she was at a red light, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Everything." Tenten chimed in, pointing her finger in the air.

"WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING!" Sakura yelled, ignoring Tenten.

"Psh…" Temari scoffed.

Sakura huffed, "I'm serious! I would have told you guys right away! Don't any of you believe me?"

"Um, I-I think you're telling the truth, Sakura-chan." Hinata spoke up, still red.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan."

Ino scoffed, "It's pretty hard to believe that you're living with your boyfriend and haven't done anything yet."

"I'm not living with him, I'm staying with him. AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PIG, ITS DAMN BELIEVABLE!"

"S-Sakura-chan, the light's green." Hinata said.

Sakura whipped around and indeed, the light was green, but since she hadn't moved, the car behind her's, honked repeatedly, "Oh, god."

Sakura pressed the pedal and started driving again, ignoring Ino's comments, with Temari and Tenten chiming in once in a while.

* * *

When everyone got to the amusement park, Sakura said to Sasuke, "Which ride do you want to go on?"

"I don't care, whatever you want." He replied.

Sakura sighed, putting her hands on her hips, "It's your birthday, Sasuke. You're going to pick which ride we are going on first."

"D-Do we have to go on a ride?" Hinata asked. She didn't exactly _love_ rollercoasters.

"Who wouldn't want to go on a ride?!" Naruto said.

"U-Um, well…"

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan!" Naruto reassured, putting his arm around her shoulders, "I'll be there with you! And if you feel scared, you can just hold on to me!"

"O-Okay."

Sakura beamed at the two before turning back to Sasuke with an expression that told Sasuke that she wanted an answer.

Sasuke sighed and looked around the amusement park. He smirked, "Let's go on that one." He stated, jerking his chin in the direction of the roller coaster.

They all walked to the roller coaster and with persuasion, a lot of it, everyone went on the rollercoaster.

"N-Naruto-kun...I-I...um…" Hinata said. She was deathly afraid of heights and they were nearing the part where it suddenly dropped. It didn't exactly help that the roller coaster was going eerily slow.

Naruto looked over at his girlfriend to see her even paler than she already was, hands gripping onto the edge of the roller coaster and a horrified look on her face, "Hinata-chan?!" He put his hand out, encouraging her to take it.

Hinata shakily lifted her small hand and placed into Naruto's bigger and warmer hand. Her color started returning to normal and she started to breath properly.

"You okay now?"

"I-I-I think-" She didn't get to finish because the roller coaster dropped.

Shikamaru didn't scream while on it, only gasped sharply and hoped for it to be over soon, scrunching his eyes shut while his girlfriend threw her hands in the air, squealing in joy.

Tenten was much the same as Temari, while Neji only sat there, but still chuckling slightly from the rush of air.

Naruto whooped while Hinata screamed at the top of her lungs, almost deafening Naruto.

Ino was in the same state of Hinata, but quickly started to enjoy the ride, while Kiba laughed all the way down.

Sakura was laughing too, while gripping tightly onto Sasuke's hand, while Sasuke only watched Sakura, enjoying see her having so much fun.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Naruto, Kiba, Temari and Tenten all screamed afterwards.

"What are you talking about? That was terrible!" Ino said.

"Oh, come on, Ino-pig, you know you enjoyed it." Sakura said.

"Psh…No." Ino defended.

After a couple of more rides, they all sat down to have lunch from the food stands that were at the park.

After lunch, they left the amusement park and went to the beach.

"Let's go change." Sakura said to the girls when they got there.

The boys stood there, "You too!" Sakura reprimanded.

Ino, Tenten and Temari had somehow managed to persuade Hinata into wearing a bikini. The dark, navy blue color looked great on her pale skin and Naruto just about had a nosebleed seeing her in it.

So did the rest of the boys when they saw their girlfriends.

Sakura was wearing a cherry blossom two piece. Tenten was wearing a simple red bikini. Temari had a matching one to Tenten's, only it was purple. Ino's was blue and had some flowery designs on it.

"OCEAN!" Temari and Tenten cheered. They raced to the ocean before jumping into the freezing water.

After a while, they came running back out to grab their boyfriends and their surf boards. Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura went along too.

"You don't want to come, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

Hinata was wrapped up in a towel, trying to cover herself up. Even if they all were her friends, she still felt weird because there were boys around the beach, giving her looks.

She started to shake her head, but then decided to come along, "O-Okay. I will." She wanted to be more confident with herself so she stood up, shaking the towel off.

Naruto grabbed her hand and kissed her all of a sudden, pressing her body to his tightly.

"N-Naruto-kun? What was that for?"

Naruto shrugged, "I felt like it." Then he glared at the other boys swooning over Hinata's body, "Also to show them that you're _mine_." He growled possessively at the boys, making them cower.

Hinata laughed and Naruto's glare vanished, hearing her angelic laugh.

Naruto lifted her into his arms, like a newly wed couple and raced to the ocean, jumping in together. As soon as they hit the cold water, Hinata squealed, making Naruto laugh.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said.

He released her and they started splashing water on each other.

Neji and Tenten were seeing who could surfboard the longest, with Temari joining them. Shikamaru lay on the shore, just enough so that the tide only tickled his feet.

But then a huge wave came and got him all wet, much to Temari's delight.

After a while, everyone decided to play the game "Chicken Fight."

Kiba and Ino first versed Shikamaru and Temari. Shikamaru originally didn't want to play, but Temari made him.

"Move, Shikamaru! Come on!" Tenten called from the side.

Shikamaru sighed, "This is so troublesome." But Temari jumped up and down on his shoulders, where she was sitting, "Come on!" She yelled.

"Fine. Fine."

Ino, who was atop of Kiba's shoulders, yelled, "BRING IT ON, TEMARI!"

"LET'S GO, PIG!" Temari yelled back.

Once Shikamaru started to move, Ino and Temari joined hands and tried to push the other off of their boyfriend's shoulders.

Temari was a bit stronger, so Ino started to fall, but Kiba caught her before she did.

"WE WIN!" Temari yelled.

"Troublesome. Now we have to do this again." Shikamaru complained.

They versed Neji and Tenten next, but this time Neji and Tenten won. "YAY! Neji-kun, WE DID IT!" She hugged her boyfriend.

Naruto and Hinata were next against Neji and Tenten.

Hinata was nervous, _I can do this. I can do this._ She reminded herself.

When it began, Tenten and her joined hands, pushing again. Hinata gave a small squeal and pushed Tenten hard, making her fall off of Neji's shoulders.

"N-Naruto-kun! I did it!"

"Great job, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said from beneath her.

Tenten surfaced from the ocean, smiling sheepishly, "I didn't think Hinata-chan was _that_ strong."

Neji just shrugged.

Sasuke and Sakura were the last to go against Naruto and Hinata.

"HINATA-CHAN AND I ARE GONNA BEAT YOU, TEME!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke scoffed, "Tch. Dobes aren't going to beat me."

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT, TEME!" Naruto countered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned down so that Sakura could climb on his shoulders. Grabbing his head for support, Sakura did and then Sasuke stood back up with no

problem, "God, Sak. What have you been eating?" He teased.

Sakura slapped the top of his head, "Shut up, Sasuke!"

"Ready?" Temari said.

Both teams nodded.

"GO!"

Hinata and Sakura "wrestled," with Sasuke and Naruto trying to keep their balance, while making sure their girlfriends wouldn't fall off as well.

With one last hard push, Sakura pushed Hinata, which made Naruto lose his footing, making both Naruto and Hinata go in the water. Sakura laughed and when they came up to the surface, she laughed again at their expressions. Sasuke set her down and she hugged him, "Sasuke, we won!"

"See? I told you dobes could never win." Sasuke said to Naruto.

Naruto pouted, "I only let you win because it's your birthday!"

"Tch. Yeah, right."

Sakura threw a beach ball at Sasuke to make him stop teasing Naruto.

Sasuke glared at her and chased her, making her squeal while running away.

He finally caught her in his arms, "Don't think you can get away so easily."

"Hehe." She giggle sheepishly.

"You know, Sak, you look beautiful."

Sakura blushed, "Thanks."

Then, Sasuke splashed some water on her and started to run away.

"Oh, come on, Sasuke! That totally ruined the moment!" Sakura complained, running after him.

* * *

"So?" Sakura asked Sasuke.

Everyone had left and it was just the two of them in Sasuke's house. Itachi was on a business trip, so he wasn't there. They were both outside, watching the stars, laying on a blanket, close to each other.

He glanced at her, "So what?"

Sakura sighed, "Was your birthday fun?"

Sasuke looked back up at the stars, "No." He teased.

Sakura looked at him, "Sasuke!"

"I'm kidding." He smirked, "It was…great." A small smile graced his features, "Thanks. Seriously. No one has done that much for me ever before."

"S-Sasuke, you just smiled!"

He smiled wider, which eventually turned into a chuckle and then a laugh, and all Sakura could do was sit up, gaping at him.

_His smile and his laugh are so...beautiful. _Sakura thought, "I-I never thought I'd hear you laugh, or even smile!"

Sasuke shrugged, sitting up too, "I guess you really have changed me."

"You've got to do that more often, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head, "I'll only do it for you."

Sakura smiled and with that, they both leaned closer and kissed.

Only one thought raced through Sakura's mind before her mind went blank, losing itself in the bliss coming from kissing Sasuke, _I've finally **melted the human ice cube**. _

* * *

**Author's Note:**

***Tear* *Tear* IT'S OVEEERRR! NOOOO! I PERSONALLY LIKED THIS STORY, SO I'M SAD. But ever since I started the story, I knew that that the last line was going to be Sakura thinking, "I've finally melted the human ice cube." So yeah. BUT DON'T WORRY, MY FELLOW READERS. I AM WRITING A SEQUEL! YES, BE HAPPY. I have already started it, I actually started it before I finished this chapter because I had no idea what to write for this chapter, so yeah. So that will be up soon! But I REALLY want to finish "Bringing Her Back" and "Realizing His True Feelings." I also have about 3 or 4 other stories on hold, which I have already wrote a chapter or two of and I really like the concepts. I also have started a Neji x Tenten one shot, so that will be uploaded soon too. **

**Again, thank you for all the people who reviewed! It makes me so happy seeing your input! Please review and tell me what you thought about the whole story in general, it would mean so much I can't even describe it. THANKS! **

**~ booklover333 **


	22. Note

**NOT A CHAPTER **

Hey guys!

Most of you already knew, but some people didn't, so I'm making this announcement now: I HAVE A SEQUEL UP FOR THIS STORY! So please go check that out. It's not finished yet, but it's close to the end! (Please also read my other stories!)

Thanks for all your love and support!

~ booklover333


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